Rants from a Call Center Customer Service Rep

Entitled Assholes

I can go all day about the level of entitlement in this country. It’s sickening. No one owes you shit. You have to pay for goods and services. I hear all day long, “With as much as I pay you, I should get this for free.” It’s not freakin’ rocket science: the monthly amount a person pays to the company only entitles them to the services they’re paying for. You pay for x, you get x. You want y, you gotta pay for y. Take this call for example.

A guy calls in and tells me he just bought his first TV in 20 years and now needs an HD receiver. He then goes on to say that he’s been with us for 16 years and back then, he had to pay $600 for his equipment and he’s not about to pay for it again. Seriously? You paid money for an electronic, used it for 16 years, and because of that think you don’t have to pay for an upgraded electronic? Really? Is that how it works with your car? Do you wear it to the ground then drive into the dealership and tell the salesman, “I paid $X for this over 10 years ago and I’m not about to pay anything for the upgraded version, just give it to me.” Yeah, watch them laugh you off the freakin’ lot.

The customer in question did have a free upgrade available, which I offered to him, but when he found out his bill would be increasing, this is what he said, “Nope. I won’t pay for HD. I don’t pay for locals, I’m not going to pay for high definition.” And then he hung up on me.

As bad as that is, the call that followed easily takes the cake.

            Me: Hello, thank you for calling Company, how are you doing today?

            Customer: I wanna know why I’ve been with you for 13 years and no one has ever called me to upgrade my equipment.

            Me: We do have an outbond telemarketing department that calls customers with promotions from time to time, let me check your privacy settings to see if you’ve elected to get those calls.

Customer: I shouldn’t have to call you to get new equipment. That’s shitty customer service. I’m in customer service and I’d never treat my customers like this.

(I should note here that he’s been yelling at me this whole time).

Me: It looks like you’ve asked that we not call or email you with promotions. We try to respect our customers’ wishes in this regard. Would you like me to change those settings so you can receive promotional calls?

Customer: I don’t want any fucking phone calls. Your customer service is shitty. I wanna know why I’ve still got this old equipment and I’m seeing ads for this New Receiver for $29.99 per month.

Me: Have you ever called in to ask about equipment upgrades?

Customer: I shouldn’t fucking have to.

Me: Sir, we don’t know when you want upgrades if you don’t tell us and you’ve asked us not to call, so we can’t ask you.

Customer: You’re customer service fucking sucks. I shouldn’t have to call you. Now what are you going to do to make sure I stay with your shitty fucking company?

Me: Are you interested in the New Receiver, sir?

Customer: Yes, but I’m not paying anything for it when new customers get it for free.

Me: Do you have a high definition tv, sir?

Customer: No. And I don’t want one.

Me: Well this receiver is high definition. If you don’t have an HD tv, having the equipment and the service charge would be a waste.

Customer: Don’t you have it in standard def?

Me: No, sir. It’s only available in high definition.

Customer: Congratulations. You just lost me as a customer, I’m calling The Competition.

And he hangs up on me. The Competition can have him. I mean, seriously, folks. What is it that makes people think they can talk to others like that? Is it because we’ve quit spanking children? Or because parents expect schools and teachers to raise their kids while they’re busy living their own lives? Or is it because we’ve become a welfare nation, where everything is just handed to citizens without any effort on the part of the receiver?