Wednesday, July 10, 2013

CVS Needs to Get their Act Together

I went to the local CVS to get some aspirin.  I bought some aspirin that was on sale and also some gum that was also on sale  -- 2 for $2.50. I went to the cash register to check out and the clerk rang up the items while I looked at the small screen as the items passed by.  First, the aspirin rang at full price.  I commented that I did not get the sale price.  The attendant asked if I had a CVS card.  I gave her the card and it showed the discount. Then she rang up the gum and it did not show the discount.  She voided the entire transaction and started over.  She asked for the total amount due. The small screen still showed the price of the gum undiscounted.  She looked carefully at her screen and said that I was getting the discounted price.  I showed her in the screen that the amount was not discounted.  In a matter of fact voice she said that sometimes the small screen does not show the same price as the screen she is looking at. Come again? What planet is the software designer who designed that system coming from?
I think that the most galling thing was the way she expected me to swallow that one as being a reasonable thing for a cash register to do.

Largest Debt Collection Company Hit with $3.2 Million Fine by FTC

As reported in the media Tuesday, July 8, 2013, Expert Global Solutions was fined by the Federal Trade Commission a total of 3.2 Million Dollars for violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Expert Global Solutions is the largest US Consumer Debt Collection company based in Plano, TX

The fine resulted from what the FTC called gross violations, including calling consumers multiple times each day, even when consumers asked them to stop.  They were also cited for having called consumers at their place of work, even when the consumer's employer prohibited such calls.  They also left messages about the debt with third parties, which is expressly prohibited.

Under the agreement Expert Global Solutions must not harass or abuse a person while trying to collect a debt, not contact third parties about a person's debt, not call a person's workplace if it is prohibited by their employer, cease communications if a person has requested no further contact, and record at least 75% of all their debt collection calls beginning one year after the date of the order and retain those recordings for a period of not less than 90 days after they are recorded.

Expert Global Solutions has more than 32,000 employees and has annual revenues in excess of $ 1 Billion.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Lowe's Home Improvement Needs Some Improvements

I don't mean to be hard to deal with, but I think that Lowe's needs to learn a lesson in customer service.
I have been trying to reach the Doors & Windows department at the local Lowe's Store for a few weeks now.  I have called the local store and been guided through the automated system, but there is no listing for Doors & Windows. I have spoken to the operator and I have been transferred to that department's phone extension only to be on hold with that wonderful elevator music. I have waited over a half an hour for someone to answer while I put my phone on speakerphone and go about what I am doing (and, of course, I have the elevator music blaring as the background noise).  I have done this too many times now (8 to be exact).  I have asked the operator to deliver a message, all to no avail.  I have called the manager, and gotten into the same loop, again to no avail.
I have also called the corporate customer care number and explained the situation.  I am on hold right now for them.  I have been on hold for 34 minutes and I have now been connected to the customer care representative for the store.
I have explained the situation. They are incredulous as to my difficulties, yet they cannot locate my quote in their system and they have now put me on hold again.

Exactly how much time Lowe's expects me to waste waiting for a meaningful interaction with them seems to be infinite. Shawn has finally gotten back to me and cannot find my quote.  We started over again and he cannot find a manufacturer that makes the window I want.
Ok, after about 20 minutes of poking around He finally found a company that makes what I want.

I GUESS THAT DEEP DOWN LOWE'S DOESN'T REALLY  WANT MY BUSINESS.

It really gets me that these companies can say that they want to be the store that they want me to shop at, but I somehow don't think that this is really true.  They need to get their act together.