This has probably happened to most people over the years. That is, calling a service representative of the company you have a service or subscription with and cancel it. Some of us have an anxiety of doing so because unfortunately, not all companies employ fully professional staff. Some are rude, hard to get the point across and some even require you to explain a reason and if it's not good enough, they refuse to cancel the service. This is apart from the company's own policies. It seems some customer service reps go rogue. Have you ever had this experience and if so, how did you handle it? How did you get your issue resolved?
I personally haven't had such an experience, but my dad just cancelled the phone subscription of his sister because she is now residing abroad, and he did not encounter any problems at all. I think that it all depends on the personality of the staff that you encountered, some are just plain rude to the people who intend to cancel their postpaid plan.
If I ever had a phone rep refuse to end a service I started, I would call to speak with a manager and give them an ear full. They can't deny the right to end a service. They can charge the fee or whatever if you signed a lengthy contract, but they can't refuse to end service. In America at least. I hate ending things over the phone anyway because I don't necessarily believe that the phone rep will send the information through to end service.
Oh yeah, I worked for a call center for years and I worked in the customer retention department. If you can't save a customer, then it counts against you in performance reviews and when trying to get promoted. I know some reps that would just suspend the customers account and it would count as a "save" then, two, three months later the customer would get a bill with never receiving service. I never did that, that's why I never got promoted I think. I quit as soon as I could, I hated that job so much.
I hate cancelling services over the phone because I’m always afraid they will not do what I asked. It’s not like you had a paper to prove they’re doing what you asked. I have heard many stories about people that call to cancel a service and it doesn’t get cancelled. The person still has to pay for the next bills because they didn't cancel what you asked them to! Not to mention whenever you need to call one of those places it takes a lifetime for someone to pick up after you spend a long time waiting on hold.
I worked in call centers for years, trying to retain customers who wanted to cancel. I don't think that people calling in to cancel don't often understand we aren't doing it to be harassing, but that's our job. Just like you have our job, that's what our job is. And as far as not having the service actually canceled, that's probably because they talked you into something that you agreed to without you even realizing it, like a lower price. And if not, then that person probably got fired. That's why it's important to just be patient, let them go through all of their offers, say "no thank you" to each one, and be done.
I have a little anxiety over this issue. I like to be swift and efficient. I would cancel a service online, but then they always want my email address to confirm the cancellation - um Nope - but I don't really want them to harass me with offers after I have ended the service. I am aware that is is the job of the sales rep to keep the customer, but wasting someone's time is rude behavior.
Whenever possible, I try and cancel a service online. But I've never really encountered any issues over the phone. When a service rep tries to tell me about all their "offers", I'll just say "no thank you, please just cancel my service" and move on. If you have had an overly aggressive service person harass you, I'd recommend reporting them. While I understand it's their job to keep you on contract, that doesn't give them an excuse to be rude.
This is good advice. In this technological age, many companies have opted to allow you to discontinue a service through their website. However, some companies still make its customers jump through hoops. I suggest writing down the talking points of what you are planning to say. Be ready for questions that ask why you are canceling, they will most assuredly ask them. And remember, you will never see this person. If they are being rude, don't let that rattle you. Politely ask to talk to someone else. If it doesn't work, hang up and try again. You can do this!
i have no fear of canceling a service usually. But there are exceptions when the person on the other end will just not take no for an answer. Usually, if I threaten to cancel a service, they will offer me a better price. If I pretend like I am canceling a service to get a better price, it usually works.
