Customer Service - American Home Shield

We've been using American Home Shield for over 10 years now. They're a home warranty company - one of those plans where you pay a premium every year and if any covered item breaks down in your home, you pay only a service fee for the visit and they fix the item - or replace it, if it can't be fixed. And you can get them to look at more than one item - for instance, when we had to have the plumber out recently (our water heater ended up needing replacement) we had him check some slow drains at the same time and only paid one service call.

I have to say that over the years we have definitely gotten the better end of this deal! Adding up the cost of the plan and visits vs. getting items fixed or replaced ourselves, we've gotten our money's worth more years than not. And over the years we have never had a single problem with them. I have seen sites with tons of complaints about them, but they have been really good with us - never quibbling over replacing something, although they will try to fix it first. We have had many items replaced, including the outside electrical box, a gas stove top, a washing machine, and a gas water heater.

This past year we had the fan and then the light go out on our stove vent hood. The house is over 30 years old and the unit is original so they had trouble finding parts. Finally the fan was fixed, but the light was constantly "on order". We paid the service fee almost a year ago and several different providers came out to look at it. We had no idea what was wrong only the light "didn't work"! We figured that eventually it would need to be replaced since they didn't seem to be able to diagnose the problem.

Following is the letter I wrote to AHS after this claim. Rather than repeating the entire story - it's told in the letter:

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the results of my claim for my range hood light. This claim has been dragged on and on for almost a year (I can't remember the first date we called) with multiple providers coming out and stating they could not service our range hood light. Finally I was told by AHS that the model numbers were in the attic and no one would go in the attic to get them. We were told to find our own service person willing to go up and we could get reimbursed for the job.

Today we did have our own choice of service company out. FIRST OF ALL - the model numbers were NOT in the attic. They were right there on the unit where I had pointed them out to the last one who was here. Apparently he did not agree they were the correct numbers - but they are. ALSO, going into the attic was not required, nor were the model numbers. He opened the unit and found the switch to be damaged. The switch was cheaply and easily replaced and the light is working perfectly now. I DO NOT understand what the holdup has been for all these months, or why the several people who have looked at it were unable to diagnose something so ridiculously simple. So that is my first complaint.

Here is my next one. The repair man mentioned to the AHS employee he spoke with this morning in the Outside Authorization department, that we had been struck by lightning last year. For that reason this claim was DENIED. I then spoke to her myself to protest that this was not caused by the lightning strike. Clearly she did not believe me and in fact sounded quite accusatory. I don't know why the service person mentioned the lightning - but the way we know him is because he serviced what WAS damaged in the lightning strike. You see, we would never have dreamed of trying to get AHS to cover those repairs. Besides being dishonest, we were paid in full by insurance. There is no reason we would ask AHS to repair something that insurance would have paid us fully for WITHOUT us paying the AHS service fee.

She then made comments regarding the range hood fan, seeming to accuse me of havinng cheated to get that repaired as well.

Besides those facts, the light was NOT damaged by the lightning. The light went out around the time of the strike, but if it had been diagnosed as having been caused by the lightning, we would have had it repaired and been paid in full for it, rather than call you.

I have been very happy with AHS for the many years we have been your customers. I have recommended your service to many people. I am disappointed to have had this claim denied for no reason other than the man mentioning the lightning strike. I was also upset by the accusatory tone taken toward me by your agent. This is the first complaint we have ever had with AHS, and I would like to hear back from you about this.

I am happy to say that we got a phone call from AHS the day they received this letter. They reimbursed us the cost of the repair (we paid the man $30 for coming out and he showed hubby how to fix it - the switch itself cost $4.00 and took 5 minutes to put in). They are also sending us two coupons for free service calls - worth $60 each. She said the woman who had denied the claim would be reprimanded, particularly for her accusations.

I am satisified with the resolution of this complaint, and with the AHS Customer Service department.

iGoogle issues

Anyone else use iGoogle? I do, and I love it - or I did, till the past few days. They've made some changes, against the advice of their community of testers who HATED the changes, AND given us no option to continue using the old format.

Old format (just the side of the page with the mail gadget):


New format:


I realize it's a free service (at least it is to me, though there is a pay option), and I don't have to use it, but that just doesn't seem like good business to me. Plus, a lot of the members who are complaining DO pay for the service!

THE main problem (to me) is the new version of the Gmail gadget. Used to be it would show you when you have new messages, by simply putting the number of messages there. You could choose whether you wanted to show a preview of the messages, or you could choose to hide the preview. I never really thought too much about that. I don't like a cluttered page (that to-do list is there on a trial basis ) and I also don't need anyone else in my family seeing the first few sentences of my mail when they bring up the Google page. Not that there's anything bad in my mail, LOL! I just don't choose to use the preview feature. But people who use iGoogle in their workplace DO have a problem with the fact that it is now no longer an option -- if you have the iGoogle page up, and the mail gadget on the page, there WILL be a preview of your e-mails - any number you choose, from 1 to 10, note that zero is NOT an option. It's a serious privacy issue. One would think it was just a bug, but it made it through testing and all its complaints.

I don't like the new page for other reasons, but the mail is the biggie for me. In the new one, they also moved the Home tab to the left, which many are also complaining about. I can live with that. I don't care what it LOOKS like. But they changed the way the mail functions. Gmail was easy to use -- No longer. It's more complicated now just to read the mail, much less reply and add attachments. It's a serious pain! I confess I am set in my ways and don't like a lot of changes, but why fix what wasn't broken? Better still - why FORCE it on people? Let those who want it, choose it. Let those of us who like it the old way, keep that. It's done all the time when "improvements" are made.

I found a Google discussion group and discovered a temporary fix for the problem - I set my home page to the Canadian version of iGoogle. See, this "improvement" is only for those of us in the US, for now. But it won't last forever. Quote:

The Official Google Blog :

Not in the U.S.? Don't worry. We'll also be rolling out this updated version in other countries very soon.

Great! I know my Canadian friend can't wait. *rolling eyes*

And here's what the Google rep in the Help Group had to say:

Quote:

Canvas view of gadgets (and its accompanying left-side navigation) is an important new iGoogle feature, so the old look is being retired. -Paul iGoogle Guide

Well, Paul - important to whom? Not to your members, apparently, who have posted 10 pages of complaints on your Help Group? Not to the testers who begged Google to NOT make the changes? And apparently the customer is not important to Google. Suck it up and learn to like it, eh? Nice business model, I wonder if they also sell futons?

Customer Service Review - Quiznos

I'm a stickler for customer service. 'What's that?' You young whippersnapppers may ask - and with good reason! It's very hard to find these days. Ask your parents, and they may just remember it themselves, but maybe not. It was in style long ago...once upon a time...so many years ago that it does seem like a fairy tale. It involved companies actually trying to please their customers, and stuff like that. But I digress; on to the story.

It was a warm spring day. A and I headed into Quiznos for lunch after a morning at the dentist. He had seen the commercials and was in the mood for something "mmmmmmmToasty" for a change. So in we went. We are not frequent Quiznos customers, so we took longer than most at the menu board. Finally, our choices were made. He got the Italian Sub; I ordered the Baja Chicken with Bacon. It was a tough choice; a tossup between that and the Mesquite Chicken with Bacon. See, I love chicken, and I love bacon. But I really, really love cilantro -- so I chose the Baja.

At the other end of the toaster the clerk added the extra toppings. "I would really love some extra cilantro, please" I requested. The clerk gave me a funny look - "Oh, we don't have cilantro!" Interpreting this as meaning they were simply out - after all, the word cilantro and the little green leaves were very much in evidence in the pictures - I expressed my disappointment. The manager stepped forward as if irate at our discussion. "We're not OUT. We don't keep it here. It isn't practical for me to carry cilantro. Do you know how long it keeps? And that's the only sandwich that calls for it. Hardly anyone orders that sandwich. Why should I order it?"

"Well, because it's on the menu, and the menu says cilantro; maybe you should put a little note on the menu that you don't have any cilantro so that people know before they order?" I suggested.

"You are the first person to ever complain" he said.

"I don't see how that makes any difference...if it says there will be cilantro, there ought to be cilantro" I replied.

Long silence.

Deep sigh.

"Lady, if you want another sandwich, I will make you one. But we just don't have any cilantro!"

I didn't ask for another sandwich. It wasn't about the cilantro, anyway. It was about the fact that cilantro was specifically mentioned as an ingredient and he had simply decided that he would not only not make any effort whatsoever to provide the advertised product, but that he would also insult the intelligence of any customer who actually had the audacity to want the product as advertised.

I wonder what kind of leeway independent Quiznos owners have to alter the menu? But it's not about that, either. I am not demanding that he keep cilantro on hand. It makes absolutely no difference to me one way or another. What I DO have a problem with is that it is advertised as such. A small handwritten note on each picture / description in the store "Sorry, no cilantro" would completely satisfy me. False advertising is a little pet peeve of mine.

Since most people don't even seem to know what cilantro is, they probably don't know anything about the cost or shelf life either. I do buy it frequently. It's true that I can't personally use up a bunch of cilantro before it rots and I have to throw the rest out. It comes in a bunch like parsley, and costs about 75 cents a bunch in my store. It lasts in the fridge for about a week in the bag you got at the store. If I use it every day I still can't use it up before it rots.

So, let's figure this out, shall we? If hardly anyone ever orders the Baja Chicken, that means that they can buy one bunch of cilantro per week and not use it all up, it would be plenty for the needs of the week. At the end of the week they have spent 75 cents and throw the rest away. Maybe they didn't sell a single Baja - who knows. Who cares? It seems to me that 75 cents a week is a pittance to be sure that the customers who do want the Baja are happy. If the management disagrees, why not just take it off the menu altogether? The point is it will not bring them anywhere close to financial ruin to just get the cilantro! Nor would it to add a note to the menu. False advertising!

I don't exactly do boycotts, but I certainly do choose where to spend my money and time. I don't care for Quiznos for several reasons. They are too expensive for my budget, for food and atmosphere (I could go to Olive Garden for what I spent on that lunch). Their food isn't that great IMO (good, but not great). If I'm looking for a sandwich I much prefer Subway, and even without the current $5 footlong it's a better price. So I won't be back to Quiznos unless I am with someone who is either buying or insists on eating there.

Imagine, this entry could have been avoided if they had simply put a note on the sign - or just told me they were out of cilantro. How hard is it to just sell what you advertise? How hard is it to just advertise only what you will sell?

A had a good question as we ate. "What if they decided they didn't want to buy any more ham? Would it be OK to just leave it off the sandwich and not say anything, and then treat the customers like idiots for asking?" Yeah, I know it's an extreme example....or is it?

More on Customer Service - Nintendo

I'm the first one to complain about bad customer service, the death of customer service, etc. I have another experience I'd like to share.

My boys went rushing out yesterday with their saved up cash and gift cards, to buy Super Smash Brothers, and some extra Wii-motes and accessories for their Wii. They had planned to spend the rest of the day playing their new game. They were so excited!

But when they got home, the game wouldn't play! An error message kept popping up. Sometimes the game would come up, then crash. They did try other games and found that it happened with all of them. I got kicked off my computer so they could look it up. "Call for Service" it said. Ahhhhh.....not good news. There was no joy in my house.

The Big Kid made the call. I would have offered to, probably insisted, but he did it before I knew it. He waited semi-patiently through all the automated stuff (he had it on speaker. You would not believe how many times they warn you that this phone call may be monitored or recorded! )

Finally, Jay came on the line and listened to the tale. You probably won't be surprised, being familiar with the way our luck runs, to find that our unit is out of warranty - by TWO WEEKS. Now, what does that usually mean? You're on your own, bucko. Pleasure doing business with you. *shrug*

Jay cheerfully informed my son that although the unit was out of warranty they would honor it anyway. THEN he said they would extend it for another year! "How much does that cost?" asked The Big Kid. "Your only cost will be any packing materials you need", said Jay. "You have a printer? Hang on, I'll e-mail you a prepaid FedEx label." WHA!!

So, while they still didn't get to play (Big Kid did. He went to a friend's house, and came home more dejected than ever for not having it here.) they are very happy. MEGA Kudos to Nintendo for their customer service (I'll report again when it's all said and done in 11-16 days ). They made my boys very happy. And the Mommy too, of course, from whose pocket would have been rendered the cost, I'm sure!

Update: the Wii was returned via FedEx in exactly 11 days! WOW!!!