| can you hear me now? good. 04.22.02 |
| My faith in customer service was restored today. I'm usually the one ranting about how people only care about making money, about bringing up their numbers, and usually don't care about the customer. But I was proven wrong today and I will definitely admit it. I went to a Cingular Wireless store with the intention of buying a new battery for my phone. It's been about 2 1/2 years since I got the phone, and by now, the battery is really bad. I recharge it and after using what adds up to about a few hours' worth, it's almost time to recharge again. When I walked in, the employee told me that a new battery would cost $49.99. Yikers! What are my other options?? She says I'm also eligible for a phone upgrade and points out different models, one being less than $10 if I commit to a two-year plan. I weigh all the options...sign up for a two-year plan, or even a one-year plan, and get a discount off a new phone, yet worry about what will happen when I go to Brazil. It'd be nice to keep the same number, but I don't think I'll be losing touch with any friends if I disconnected the phone. Loaning the phone to someone for five months wasn't too appealing either. I was *this* close to getting the cheap phone, signing on for two-years, and just crossing my fingers that a sympathetic telephone teller would allow me to suspend my account for five months. When I first started talking to the employee, I told her about my situation, about going to Brazil for five months. She asked why and I explained to her a bit. She told me about how she went to Mexico during spring break to build houses. I don't think it was through a Christian organization, but she understood where I was coming from in terms of raising support. We ended up talking to her other co-worker about my situation and he gave us his opinion on phone plans, models, etc. He said honestly that I should wait until I got back to upgrade my phone. New models will be coming out and if I wait, I won't have to deal with my account while I'm away. It will just be less of a hassle. I really appreciated the fact that he didn't push me to buy a phone. They could have done so, because really, it's my problem to figure out what to do when the time comes to leave. But they didn't. I told them there was still the old battery that needed to be replaced. The first employee goes to her little cubby and takes out her old phone battery and sticks it on my phone. She tells me she is going to get a new phone today anyway and that I can have her battery. I was so surprised and touched. First, they don't even try to make a sale off me, and then they even give me something free? I left the store with wishes for a safe and fun trip from them, like we were old friends or something. Maybe this doesn't seem like a big deal, but I left thanking God for people like them, who brought a smile to my face and a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart. My faith has been restored--good customer service is NOT dead. |
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