Customer service: ever hear of customer tiering?

[ikojo]

I just watched a report on CBS News This Morning on customer service . They profiled two people, one a Capitol One credit card holder and another an MCI customer, who had received horrible customer service. The report suggested that both companies knew that these customers were not big money people (the credit card customer rarely if ever carried a monthly balance and the MCI customer was a small businessman) and as a result they were forced to wait on hold for longer periods. The report also insinuated that there are some calls that are simply not taken by customer service departments.

Is our society going so crazy that we are even divided by class when we attempt to receive customer service?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/03/eveningnews/consumer/main576482.shtml

[mhr]

1. Nothing Surprises Me Anymore

Corporations left unchecked will stop at nothing to serve their needs.

Our needs be damned.

To learn more read Thom Hartmann's unequal protection.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1579546277/qid=1065435940/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-5061049-8758218

[unblock]

2. of course

this goes way back. rich folks have always gotten the red carpet treatment. and mom and pop shops always do something extra, if only a special smile, for frequent or preferred customers.

as far as massive call centers go, i remember getting 'invited' to apply for an american express platinum card when they first came out (now everybody calls their card platinum, and it means nothing). back then that meant that you paid something like $400/yr just to have the card (instead of the usual $55 or $75 or whatever for the green card), and you got primo service, which included a number of benefits, mostly the kind of things only frequent business travelers would care for.

but, most relevantly, it also promised that you could call a 'secret' number and get connected to a different call center -- more experienced representatives and shorter wait times. at $400, this was just nuts, but if you're rich, or if your company's paying for it, i'm sure plenty went for it. i certainly didn't.

i'm not sure this is all that wrong, i mean, the private sector shouldn't have the mandate that the government has to treat all comers equally.

[dofus]

3. The American Express Platinum

card still costs more, still has more perks connected with it.