Scripted Robotic Customer Service Reps-We value your business

I hear the following on a regular basis: “We value your business”. This is the robotic words from the customer service rep. Usually they tell me that they aren’t going to correct the issue I called about, however they keep repeating how they value my business. This is whether the customer service rep is based in the US or offshore. These reps are merely robots. Ask for a supervisor and you sometimes have to say the same thing 3-4 times. Why?, because the reps are told not to (most likely). Recently on one call I threw the rep a curve ball. Every time she said how the company valued my business I told her not to be funny. I did resolve all issues but not dealing with the rep. Many of the reps have no ability other than to try and read from a computer screen script. Since they are robotic they have little ability to understand or solve issues. I did come across a very good rep from Bank of America this week and was really surprised. I think they are trying hard to personalize service.

I mentioned on an earlier post about the value of formal complaints. The big companies hate formal complaints with the Better Business Bureau. You can file these complaints online. Often a management person will call and tell you how valued you are as a customer and how the reps should have resolved your problem. This is nonsense. The only reason they resolve the problem is due to the fact you file complaints. Always look to your local state governments for ways to file complaints as well.
Many utilities, cable companies etc are regulated by local governments and may be careful about too many formal complaints.

Right now credit card companies are under some government scrutiny, so they may be more proactive in settling disputes. I don’t call my credit card companies often, however when I have a question or issue I prefer to deal with US based reps. Many companies are sending calls to the Philippines these days. Americans have been complaining about accents of Indian reps based offshore. Calling during business hours sometimes can mean your call with be handled inside the US. Of course this is no guarantee of good service though.

Hanging up on An Automated Phone Call

Lately various companies have been using a new kind of automated phone call. Credit card companies,cable companies and many others are using software to call customers. You answer the phone and then they tell you to stay on hold. It is unbelieveable to me that these companies think they can call you and have you wait for them to pick up the call. I hang up on these calls immediately. If enough people refuse to wait on hold for somebody calling them, they will staop this practice. Most consumers hang up on those automated solicitation calls and these are little different. If any company I do business calls me I will talk to them. If they use a recoding and put me on hold I hang up!

Dollar Rent a Car is Dirt Cheap!

I have found Dollar rent a car to be super cheap in my travels. I go directly to their website www.dollar.com and look for local city specials. Chose your car and you will be set. Drivers must be over 25. I see them as strictly no frills. The service I have received is good but I think this may vary also. I had some issues with the “top tier” rental companies like Avis and Hertz, so I find it better to shop by rate and save as much as possible for the high price of gas these days.

New Airline Charges-Baggage and More

The airlines are getting hit hard with fuel costs.

United Airlines,US Airways, American and others have started to charge a $25.00 fee to check more than one bag. The airlines can’t raise the cost of the fare, so they are trying this. If the bag is more than 50 lbs the costs can go up much higher to as high as $100.00 a bag or more. Soon they might weigh customers and charge surcharges over a certain weight. (only kidding) If you are a status level frequent flyer the $25.00 bag charges will be waived. I don’t know if they will be waived on other passengers under the same ticketing though.

The real test is to see if every airline will institute these fees. The airlines got nailed in the 1970’s for price fixing so now they float a price increase or this baggage increase and hope other airlines chare the fees as well. Now people are going to carry alot more junk on the planes. The bins on the planes are very inadequete and were mostly designed many years ago when people did not carry much baggage onto a plane. Clark Howard always mentions how he travels with a carry on only and doesn’t want to deal with airline baggage delays or lost/damaged bags. Also many airlines have surcharges on bags over 50 lbs. Personally I need to lighten up on every time I fly. I carry way to much junk. My electronic junk really adds up with plugs,wires, laptop, ipod etc. US Air is charging extra for seats in the front of the plane, aisle seats etc. This will continue as airlines cannot make any money so everything will be extra. At some point they might even try to charge for every bag you check. Some super low cost airlines like Spirit air do this.

Hotel Resort Fees the Ripoffs Continue

In an earlier post I wrote about the outrageous “resort fees that hotels levy on their guests. Last week 20/20 did a story on this where the reporter checked into a $450.00 resort in Arizona. when he complained about the charge the front desk cleark like a robot told him how it was a mandatory charge , blah,blah blah. I get the feeeling that this comes up on a daily basis at many of these places. One hotel agreed to take off the charges but most stand firm. They don’t care whether you use “the amentities” or not. Many hotels are charging for parking. Even hotels outside major cities are trying to charge for parking. I suggest everyone to complain about these fees anyway. At some point they will get the message that customers are unhappy. To pay $450.00 and get a resort fee of $25.00 is totally ridiculous. Soetimes I am suprised to see lower priced hotels offer the little things that the expensive hotels try to capitalize on.

ATM Fees and Bank Fees Rising through the Roof!

A few months ago Bank of America raised the ATM fee for non -customers to $3.00 per transaction. Prior to that the fee was generally $1.50-$2.00. Bank of America has one of the largest networks of ATMs with 19,000 nationwide. There are approximately 400,000 ATMS in the US. Now other banks are joining in with the higher ATM fees for non customers. This is on top of your own bank surchase for using an ATM from another bank. That could raise the fee to $5.00 or more. My suggestions are to use only your own bank ATM and consider a credit union or other bank that rebates ATM surcharges. Some of these credit unions will refund the $3.00 out of pocket ATM fees and not charge any additional fees. Usually they have a cap of $20.00 You can use your ATM/debit card at a grocery store and get cash back usually up to $100.00. Walgreens and other drug stores will let you get up to $50.00 or so approx. Now banks are raising NSF/bounce check fees. this is a huge moneymaker for banks. One bank executive quoted in the Wall St Journal this weekend said he is always looking for new revenue sources as he raised his NSF fee from $32.00 a check to $35.00 per check. The answer to this is have a checking account that has an overdraft feature from a savings account etc, and dont write any bad checks. My suggestion is to use a bank with a good online system and really use it to manage checks and bills without hand writing many checks. Quicken or Microsoft Money can also help you track investments/savings and checks. Don’t let these greedy banks get the best of you, or have you pay for their losses on bad mortgage loans.

Cancel and Really Save Some Money!

The best way to save money on goods and services is to cancel! Many times you see special teasers companies offer to new customers. Once you become a customer it always seems there are no hot deals for you. The best thing to do is cancel that magazine, satellite radio, newspaper subscription, cell phone contract etc. The deals will get better as these companies have retention departments that will do anything in the in their power to keep you as a customer. When you call the cell company to cancel for example they will transfer you to somebody who will try and keep you as a customer. You will be surprised as to how good the deals will get. The more you wait, the better they get.

Las Vegas Million Dollar Luxury Condo Busts!

As the real estate crunch continues, the Wall Street Journal today reported on serious problems with the new Cosmopolitan luxury condo/casino in Las Vegas. The luxury market is not immune to a real estate sell off. The losses in this area can be huge. How many million dollar apartments can they sell in Vegas? Trump is getting ready for the finish on his first tower on the Vegas strip. Many buyers of the condos on the Cosmopolitan, MGM Signature, Trump and others  felt they could flip these units for a profit at time of closing. Now many of the buyers want out and some are walking away from deposits as high as 100,000 rather than closing and having to cover several thousand a month plus real estate taxes and maintenance. My point all along was that the only ones to profit from these overpriced units were the developers looking for a huge payday. The “little guy” is not going to outsmart these professionals selling these units. In any case visitors of Vegas have the ability to rent these units and see what is all about. A few weeks ago I stayed at the MGM Signature building and thought it was nice and a good deal for me at $150.00 a night, but the buyers got screwed on these units. I am predicting a huge washout of these Vegas condos and I am not impressed by the MGM City Center as they claim to have sold 50% of their units according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Grocery Costs Skyrocketing!

I have been doing some grocery shopping and price checking lately and have seen huge price increases on many products. I have seen some of the highest prices I have ever seen on various brands that I purchase. The cost of milk is up more than 20% this year alone.

I wait until many items are on sale and stock up big. The trick here is to know your products, prices and sizes. Make notes in your pda, phone or notebook so you know the best prices for the item you buy and their size. One trick is manufacturers are making smaller sizes in a package that looks about the same size as it was. The package is the same or similar size, but the product inside is less! Using store brands can save 20-30% or more.

I saw cereal this week as much as $5.00 a box. Grain costs have been up, so the manufacturers are making cereal into a gourmet food. If you have a big family buy cereal only when on sale and try to use coupons as well. When you see a great deal, stock up. Buy those loss leaders and walk out! When buying in bulk at a warehouse club,  know your prices. I feel that items like cereal are better on a supermarket loss leader, rather than the wholesale clubs. Paper products and plastic bags etc are probably cheaper at the wholesale clubs but the sizes will be larger.

Hotel Overbilling Common-Watch those Mini Bar Charges.

In an earlier post I wrote about being overcharged at a Loews Hotel. I was in Vegas this week and reviewed my bill prior to leaving the Beallagio hotel. I noticed a charge for $20.00 for a mini/bar snack system charge. I was told it was for chocolate poker chips in room. Since I did not buy this item I had it removed from the bill. I was told that going near the snack box triggers the charge it the box is tapped etc. The maid probably did it as I was nowhere near the item which was still on the tray in the room. This is not the first time I have been overcharged in Vegas on a hotel bill. Last year the Wynn  hotel charged me for a $100.00 meal charged to my room with no signature or name (it was not me) and three sets of double charges for items charged to the room. I was told the double charges were computer errors. Everything is a computer error. How about the programmers and people who input this data. Is it ever a human error? Also if they offer you a mini bar key, refuse it. That wy you can’t be blamed for taking out a $3.00 can of soda. I am still waiting for a billing error in my favor. I just don’t think it works that way.