sometimes i have moments when i'm talking with customer service people and i think, "this cannot possibly be the solution. absolutely not possible."
today was one of those days.
i will be intentionally vague here - so as not to incriminate the other (guilty) parties...
to give you some background, i was trying to subscirbe to a a software that i've been using on trial for the past few weeks....
Me: Hello Sir, i'm trying to subscirbe to your service using my credit card online, and it says that i have to give one of 5 government issued ID numbers. I don't have any of those numbers. Is it it still possible for me to subscirbe?
Customer Service Agent: Yes madam. Please be on the line. I will check it out.
(hold)
CSA: yes madam, just type in any alpha-numeric combination in the window. It is just for our own purposes.
Me: What?
CSA: Any alpha-numeric combination will work.
Me: so you're telling me to just make a number up?
CSA: yes.
Me: but won't that be a problem?
CSA: no.
Me: i can just make up any number i want?
CSA: yes.
me: really?! okay, just to be clear, you are telling me that i should just make up any number i want, and fill it in as the government issued ID number.
CSA: yes.
Me: uh, okay, how many letters and numbers should i use?
CSA: let me just check (pause)
Me: are you sure about this? it seems like this could be bad.
CSA: we just have that to be sure that people are serious before they sign up for our free trial. we had lots of people signing up for the free trial who were not serious.
me: but i'm not signing up for the free trial. i want to subscribe.
CSA: Okay, just be on the line, I'll check with my supervisor
(hold)
CSA: hello madam.
Me: yes, hello.
CSA: i've just checked with my supervisor, and the government issue number must be authentic.
Me: okay. thank you. so does that mean that i can't subscribe?...
...we got it worked out...eventually...
...but it did remind me of the time i was on the phone with the service desk of a computer company...and they told me that the solution to my problem was to,
"go to the local market and buy a copy of the operating system."
me: what?!?!
CSA: go to the local market and buy a copy of the operating system.
me: so you're telling me to go and buy a black market copy of the operating system?!?!?!
CSA: yes.
me: really?! that's your solution?!?!
CSA: yes.
me: i don't believe this. I already bought it from you, why would i buy it from the "local market?!" if that's the problem, shouldn't you fix it?
CSA: well, it will cost 400 Rs (about $8) to send you a new copy of the operating sysetem.
me: oh, that's great, please send it.
CSA: and it will take 2 weeks.
me: what?! are you kidding me?!
CSA: so if you go to the local market and buy a local copy, and install it, we can find out if that's the problem, and if it is, then you can get a new copy of the official software.
me: no. that is not going to work. come fix my computer. now (well, that's essentially how the conversation ended!)
sometimes all of a sudden i find that i'm in the middle of a conversation that i couldn't have come up with in my wildest dreams!
today was one of those days.
i will be intentionally vague here - so as not to incriminate the other (guilty) parties...
to give you some background, i was trying to subscirbe to a a software that i've been using on trial for the past few weeks....
Me: Hello Sir, i'm trying to subscirbe to your service using my credit card online, and it says that i have to give one of 5 government issued ID numbers. I don't have any of those numbers. Is it it still possible for me to subscirbe?
Customer Service Agent: Yes madam. Please be on the line. I will check it out.
(hold)
CSA: yes madam, just type in any alpha-numeric combination in the window. It is just for our own purposes.
Me: What?
CSA: Any alpha-numeric combination will work.
Me: so you're telling me to just make a number up?
CSA: yes.
Me: but won't that be a problem?
CSA: no.
Me: i can just make up any number i want?
CSA: yes.
me: really?! okay, just to be clear, you are telling me that i should just make up any number i want, and fill it in as the government issued ID number.
CSA: yes.
Me: uh, okay, how many letters and numbers should i use?
CSA: let me just check (pause)
Me: are you sure about this? it seems like this could be bad.
CSA: we just have that to be sure that people are serious before they sign up for our free trial. we had lots of people signing up for the free trial who were not serious.
me: but i'm not signing up for the free trial. i want to subscribe.
CSA: Okay, just be on the line, I'll check with my supervisor
(hold)
CSA: hello madam.
Me: yes, hello.
CSA: i've just checked with my supervisor, and the government issue number must be authentic.
Me: okay. thank you. so does that mean that i can't subscribe?...
...we got it worked out...eventually...
...but it did remind me of the time i was on the phone with the service desk of a computer company...and they told me that the solution to my problem was to,
"go to the local market and buy a copy of the operating system."
me: what?!?!
CSA: go to the local market and buy a copy of the operating system.
me: so you're telling me to go and buy a black market copy of the operating system?!?!?!
CSA: yes.
me: really?! that's your solution?!?!
CSA: yes.
me: i don't believe this. I already bought it from you, why would i buy it from the "local market?!" if that's the problem, shouldn't you fix it?
CSA: well, it will cost 400 Rs (about $8) to send you a new copy of the operating sysetem.
me: oh, that's great, please send it.
CSA: and it will take 2 weeks.
me: what?! are you kidding me?!
CSA: so if you go to the local market and buy a local copy, and install it, we can find out if that's the problem, and if it is, then you can get a new copy of the official software.
me: no. that is not going to work. come fix my computer. now (well, that's essentially how the conversation ended!)
sometimes all of a sudden i find that i'm in the middle of a conversation that i couldn't have come up with in my wildest dreams!
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