Call Centres: If you dont like the answer/deal you want HANG UP and call again

[Deactivated] on 01/08/2016 - 15:00

When calling Call Centres to get a deal/freebie etc, if you dont get the answer you want, immediately hang up and call again. High probability you will get better deal with next operator.This works not only for mobile call centres, but for anything, utilities, Centrelink, tax office. Many call centre staff are pretty lazy and will the the easiest route to get rid of you. Having quotas of how many calls they have to get thru in an hour also doesnt help. So quantity over quality.

Just a bit of background, I used to work in a govt dept for a long time, and an inside joke (but true) was exactly that, if you dont like the answer hang up and call again, you may just get what you want. Call centres are notorious for under-training their staff. In some cases they only get 2 days training. This results in them either not knowing the product, or current deals, or just want to be a pr**ck. Either way, they next girl/guy may be more receptive, knows their job, or is a nice person and will go out of their way to help you.

I tried to find the right section to put this in but as we seem to call mobile/utilities the most I put it in here. Please mods move it if you need to.

Mobile

Comments

  • skrep on 01/08/2016 - 15:11
    +1

    I do this for online chat as well :P

    • Clear on 01/08/2016 - 16:55

      Yup. Very good for dealing with Telstra's 24x7 chat. Not so good if you end up with the same manager.

    • BargainKen on 03/08/2016 - 14:27

      Close the browser tab and start again
      Sad but true - telstra is about as consistent as … well it just aint :)

  • lupiter on 01/08/2016 - 15:14
    +7

    It was so fun waiting the first 3 hours, I know I'll try again to save 20c. :/

    • Diji1 on 01/08/2016 - 16:36
      +2

      Did a lady who sounded like she had taken an almost fatal dose of heroin inform you about a new invention called "the internet"?

      That's what she did to me only it got annoying after she repeated it every 30 seconds during the entire 3 hours. It's was well recieved advice especially since the website wasn't working. The music sounded only slightly worse than scraping your fingernails down a blackboard so I guess I got lucky.

    • bluedufflecoat on 01/08/2016 - 17:01

      Exactly right.

      Sometimes takes forever to speak to someone, and when you get to speak to a real person, to hang up and try again isn't a very appealing proposition.

    • [Deactivated] on 01/08/2016 - 20:47
      +1

      True, and I've spent my fair few hours on hold myself. But I guess it depends on how important this deal/ benefit is to you. I wouldnt wait 2 hours for say 200 flybuy points , but if it means gettng $250 in family assistance EVERY FORTNIGHT for which I am entitled, then I would and did wait 4 hours, and did call back as on the first attempt the 19-yr-old guy in the call centre in WhoopWhoop said I was not eligible. Which was not true because I was, but he was probably a temp employed after the govt sacked 15,000 human services staff over 10 years, and has no clue about Social Security Law. Sorry, I digress…

  • [Deactivated] on 03/08/2016 - 16:22

    With optus i alway ask to be put through to the retention team

  • snook on 04/08/2016 - 11:59

    I work in a Government Dept and we don't like the shoppers. We're all well aware and it always ultimately comes back to the same person responsible for the area … so nope, doesn't always work.

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