Letter to the Editor: What happened to in-person customer service?


DEAR News Of The Area,

I’M 77 years of age and a fully paid up member of the “old farts” club.

But I wonder, are there many younger people out there who are constantly frustrated by the deplorable service you get from many organisations when you are trying to conduct the “business of life” at car insurance time.

I am in a queue and constantly told my call is important, but nobody wants to talk to me.

Instead I am forced to listen to horrible music that I feel is designed to get up my nose so much that I will be forced to hang up, thereby avoiding any questions that I may want to ask the people I am trying to contact.

If your life doesn’t revolve around the internet world you’re in trouble trying to get things done. Offices where you could go and sit down with a human being and discuss stuff don’t exist anymore.

They have been closed because ‘everybody works online now’ and it is ‘much more efficient this way.

Yeah right.

My dad’s brother was a bank manager way back when we didn’t have computers everywhere and people still got loans to buy houses, and had no trouble organising things like car insurance.

Person to person verbal contact is not encouraged and we are poorer as a society as a result.

Regards,
Geoff RACKHAM,
Urunga.

One thought on “Letter to the Editor: What happened to in-person customer service?

  1. I understand, Geoff, but the world really has moved on.
    By way of direct example, just last week my dear old mum (87yo and internet illiterate) received her annual car insurance bill. It was exorbitant and I offered to shop around for her. Of course, this shopping was online. I came back with a quote that was 30 percent cheaper ($600 less). I offered to pay online (she could reimburse me by cheque) and receive the documentation via email
    which I would print and post . She reluctantly agreed. However, after l completed the online process, the insurer said they needed to speak with her by phone. This occurred the next day, and although none of the details changed, the price went up by $200, simply because a human was involved. Mum got frustrated and hung up. She’s back with her former insurer getting ripped off, but is pleased that she can simply pay by cheque at the Post Office. It’s frustrating for all of us.

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