.Everyone has problems occasionally when they pay a bill. If the problem is the service providers fault what do you do? Send a letter to your states public utility commission? Yeah, that will do a lot of good. Perhaps honestly documenting my experience dealing with a company that is trying to build it's internet DSL and Dish Television Customer Network base would be more effective.
This adventure started on Thursday May 18th about 1PM when I tried to make a call and every number I dialed I got a really loud, obnoxious noise. Something similar to modem noise with a few screams and other mixed telephone background noises amplified one thousand times. I spent about ten minutes trying different phone numbers including calling Frontiers toll free number 1-800-921-8101 before, out of guesswork, I tried 611 repair and got a ring tone. This was an inauspicious beginning, however it portends an attitude that they are right and the customer is wrong and needs to be punished for any supposed misdeeds.
This screeching noise is Frontier's polite way of telling customers that they would like to talk with their customer? They could have been nasty and switched on a recording asking their customer of five years to contact them. Frontier could be really nasty and just automatically connect their good customer to the appropriate phone number when the phone was picked up. I'm sure better solutions to this perplexing problem of communicating that they would like to speak with their customer, but I'm not an expert. Obviously the ear-piercing screeching has some soothing effect that you, my dear reader, understand and obviously I am not aware of.
I live out in the boonies, as most Frontier Communications customers do, and Frontier supplies the only telephone service for many miles so they do not have any competition. I also got my DSL service through Frontier and they offered a nice bundle supplying Dish Network DV (digital television). The check I write pays for all three services.
I phoned Frontiers repair department at my only working phone number 611. Well, I'm assuming it is the only working phone number since I'm too responsible to try the other logical choice of dialing 911 to see if Frontier really wants to be sued by relatives of a customer that died because they could not contact emergency services. Anyhow Frontier Repair department, after entering my phone number and then telling them my phone number twice and requiring 5 pieces of identification, politely switches me over to the "COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT" and go through the identification routine again I talk with a representative, let's call her Mary, about what checks they have received and not received. Mary and I discussed the fact they had received my check #159 I mailed about March 15th but they had not received my check #163 for $256.00 I mailed about April 15th nor check #166 for $246.00 that I mailed about May 10th. Of course we were talking on May 18th so perhaps they had not received check #166 yet, however they must have received check #163. Mary told me that if I could copy of the front and back of the check and mail it to them they would research this payment difficulty. I informed her that my bank no longer was sending canceled checks in my statements. She insisted that Frontier needed the copy's of the check mailed to them so I asked to speak to a supervisor.
This started a series of protests however I persevered and got connected to a supervisor, let's call her Jane. Jane and I went through the identification routine and discussed my service record and my past payments up to the point of the copies of the check and the fact that my bank no longer returns cancelled checks. I asked her for a quicker way to supply copies, perhaps Frontier had a FAX machine? Jane said I could FAX the copies to 845-344-3394. Well, this might bring about a quicker resolution then mailing. I said OK and considered what to do now. Should I drive the 20 miles to the bank and 20 miles back for a copy or try my cell phone.
I contact my bank and Joe is happy to assist me and, after I identified myself, he said the bank had paid check #163 on May 9th., 9 days before my phone was turned into a noise machine. I asked Joe if they could fax a copy to Jane. Joe said that they couldn't do that because Frontier had not submitted the check, they had processed an electronic check. I asked how I could prove it to Jane at Frontier that the check had cleared the bank. Joe was not sure. I asked if they had tracking numbers for these electronic transfers. It took a minute for Joe to find the correct number and I had him to read it to me.
Back on the land line I dialed 611 and Frontier Repair department connected me to the "COLLECTION DEPARTMENT" and after 10 minutes listening to a recording I got tired of waiting. I redialed 611 and explained the situation to repair and asked to speak to someone and was put through to a recording and after a few minutes it said it was after 5 PM and to try tomorrow although it was only 4 PM. I redialed 611 and explained the situation to repair and asked to speak with a supervisor. What I got was a recording that kept repeating asking me to please wait as they were extremely busy at this time. After 30 minutes of recording I decided to try again. 611 connected me to collections again and I got through right away, no "sorry, we are busy" message.
Now, as an aside for those who are not familiar with how high volume phone centers like 800 and other toll free numbers are linked with computers a brief explanation. When you call from a known phone number the customers account record displays on the service representatives computer screen before they answer the call. The representative can review the callers account and see a record of their past calls and any warning flags. An informed decision can be made to answer, reroute the customer without notice, or tell the computer to refuse any more calls from specific phone numbers. If you put this together with excellent customer service attitude it offers a unique way to handle customers that have committed supposed misdeeds. It seems that a few companies feel it is desireable to deal with questionable customers by sending them to recording hell. I suppose I must remember that I'm a customer and I must be punished for my supposed misdeeds.
Anyway, the brave representative answered and politely tried to help, however I was not in the mood to go through this explanation twice as it was close to the 5 PM closing time. After several try's to convince me to let her help she connected me with a supervisor. I was intrigued that supervisor Mary answered the line again. I explained that I had paid the bill and my bank said they had paid the check on May 9th and told her they must have some record of it. She assured me they did not. I explained I had the transaction number from the bank and I told her the count and the amount. She asked a few more questions and said that some new part of Frontier must have processed the payment since normally checks are the standard fare. She told me the name of the department she "guessed" did the deed but it was totally forgettable. She went on to say if the check was really paid on May 9th then the "COLLECTION DEPARTMENT" wouldn't have been notified yet. Punch cards move faster.
After more conversation, including the banks name and location, she must have made a guess, or had an assistant check, that I was telling the truth and said she would restore my service while they investigated. Nice, I just wasted a few hours of my increasingly valuable time with no apology. I asked if I should call back on Monday to verify that everything was resolved. Mary said she would call me when it was resolved. About 15 minutes later, Thursday May 18th 5PM, my phone was back on and I went back to surfing on the Frontier DSL line enjoying the cooler spring weather after a short hot spell.
If I had not been pushy and asked questions, if Frontier had processed the paper check, if the bank could give me a copy after a 20 mile drive, if I had done as requested and mailed a copy of the check this difficulty might have been resolved in a few... weeks. Too many ifs. Too many days. This was Frontiers game and the ball was in their court and they and "unhelpful" seems to be a good tool punish the assumed guilty.
The next day on Friday, May 19th I woke up and tried to track a UPS shipment online. Shit! No Internet. No DSL. I called Frontiers 1-800-921-8101 number about the lack of internet and after listening to really long branching messages got through to the DSL waiting line. The Frontier DSL folks learned well from the Frontier Telephone folks. What could make a customer happier while waiting online for someone to help get their internet working then to listen to endless recordings suggesting I log onto the internet to solve my problems. I suppose I must remember that I'm a customer and I must be punished for my supposed misdeeds.
Frontier DSL said I had been disconnected. Frontier "COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT" forgot to tell the DSL folks that I really had paid and the DSL folks pulled the plug overnight. Not the DSL folks problem and they delicately transferred me to customer service. After telling them the long story they checked and said they would be happy to turn the service back on May 23rd. I mentioned that it was their error that caused the service to be interrupted. I was put on hold and a minute later she was back on line saying they fixed it. I asked when and she said now. I clicked on Google and the familiar search screen came up. I thanked her and returned to surfing for the UPS tracking information. I suppose I must remember that I'm a customer and I must be punished for my supposed misdeeds.
On Wednesday, May 24th my answering machine got a call from Mary which I returned the next day. The operator that answered said Mary was in a meeting all day and I left the message I would try calling tomorrow.
On Thursday, May 25th 11:45A I called Mary again. Deb answered and said Mary was not at her desk. Deb said that they had received a check for $246.00. I told Deb that it was the wrong check as we were looking for a $256.00 check.
On Thursday, May 25th 01:10P I called Mary again. Maha answered and said Mary was not at her desk. Maha asked me to send a fax of check to her attention at 1-845-344.3394.
On Wednesday, May 31 I received a call on my answering machine from Maha at Frontier saying that they had resolved the account problem and to call if I had any questions... Well, no apology there. No explanation. Was it the right check? Do I get the late payment charges reversed?
Please read the corporate mottos on Frontiers site then consider the dichotomy.
Last updated May 31 2006
Mary = Clair Gallenger 1.800.921.8105x9601 Frontier Communication Solutions
Deb = Donna
Maha = Madeline