My Rant on the Durham Region Transit

I got off work today and went to catch the DRT Pulse bus home. Last year I would have caught the bus directly outside of the building where I work, but the Durham Region improved the bus service so now I have to walk a block west to catch the bus.

I started walking down the sidewalk only to realize a snowplow was heading towards me. It blocked the entire sidewalk and, thanks to the last couple of snow storms, there was no way past it. Just to make things better, my bus was at the next set of lights. If the sidewalk was open, I could have made it to the stop without any problem but I can't leapfrog a snowplow. So I used my only option, I walked to where the bus stop used to be and waited for the bus there. I knew it was a safe place for the bus to stop, buses had been stopping there for several decades.

I know the driver saw me. I waved to him and he made eye contact with me. And I know he saw the snowplow because it caused a minor traffic jam at the entrance to the parking lot where I work and the bus had to wait for that to clear. Despite it being obvious that I had no real way to get to the bus stop, the driver drove right on by. Chances were he told anyone on the bus who asked him, "She can catch the next bus. It's not that long." I have heard this line before. This is not good customer service.

Fifteen minutes on a street corner in February with drivers spraying slush on me was "that long". If it had been last year, I would have had a bus shelter to protect me from the slush. But that disappeared during the "improvement" along with the more convenient stop.

My son has a youth group every Tuesday evening. On paper the buses sound ideal. We walk a block to the nearest bus shelter and catch the bus at 6:38pm to downtown. Our bus arrives at 6:50pm and our connecting bus gets there at 6:52pm. It drops him off right beside the Boys and Girls Club at exactly 7pm when his group meets. Perfect.

Reality is we get to the stop at 6:35pm and the bus arrives ten minutes later. I tell the driver the bus we're connecting to and she shrugs then informs me that she's running late (as if the ten minute wait wasn't our first clue) and can't call the other bus to let him know there are passengers waiting. Tonight we could SEE our bus at the next set of lights, we'd just missed it.

Missing that bus means standing downtown, in the dark, for another ten minutes. Then getting on the next eastbound bus and getting off as close to the Boys and Girls Club as possible. Then walking six blocks south. And, since I'm not staying with him, it means I miss the bus heading home and have a 20 minute wait on a dark street corner in south central Oshawa.

I have a similar missed bus story on Sundays. This one involves catching the regional bus running along Taunton from Oshawa to Whitby. It's supposed to connect with the bus running north along Brock Street. I inform the driver and he shrugs and says he'll call them "soon". I remind him and get told "soon" again. Finally he calls them, the bus has gone by, and I need to turn around and go home. The buses only run once an hour. An hour later is an hour too late.

Lately I've been hearing a lot of negative comments about the DRT. There's always been complaints about bus service but, these days I hear them regularly and unprompted. The Pulse buses are usually late and way too overcrowded, which they are. Seven and a half minute service often stretches into 15 minute service, with two buses coming at the same time. And those buses are crowded. It was rare to have an overcrowded GO bus or 306 bus. It's common to get on the Pulse and discover there isn't a single free seat. And I'm hearing a lot more negative comments about drivers as well.

I take the bus almost every single day and I know there are a lot of good drivers out there, but the bad ones are the ones who tend to get noticed.

Two of my coworkers have already bought cars just so they wouldn't have to deal with the DRT anymore and several more are organizing rides for the exact same reason. You can be sure they've told other people why they're not taking the bus. I know some of the complaints told to me were from people who have never taken the bus, they were sharing complaints they've heard repeatedly from friends.

If Durham Region truly wants people to use and count on this bus service, they need to make sure connecting buses actually connect and their fast efficient Pulse line lives up to its name.The service has a lot of potential but that potential won't be realized if they lose their customers due to poor and overcrowded service.

Yet another Rogers rant

I started my complaint about Rogers here on the 27th of September then moved on to more issues here on October 1st, regarding my lost cellphone and my issues in reordering the same (or similar phone). Both times I was assured that after October 14th I could reorder my Corby Pro for $19.99.

I called, bright and early, on the 15th to order my phone. It was a poor connection so I missed the representative's name. However he assured me repeatedly that it was the same phone I had originally and it would arrive within five business days. The only part that confused me was, when he was hanging up, he commented that there would be a $15-something charge on my bill; four dollars less than what I was expecting. My biggest concern was that he'd sneakily sent me my original phone, the one I replaced this spring, the Motorola Krzr.

I hadn't received any messages regarding my phone or an attempted delivery so called Rogers to check for a tracking number. This time I got Amanda as a representative. She checked through the notes and commented that the previous rep noted he was sending me a 3410 phone but there was no sign of shipping information. I googled the phone and came up with this:



Unless he was not only drunk but blind as well, there's no way he could have mistaken this for the Corby Pro. And, talk about a complete slap in the face, the one thing I've stressed with every customer representative is I need to have a camera. I scrapbook and photography is very important. The only two things I look for in a phone is that it can send and receive calls and that it has a decent camera. This phone is 9 years old, discontinued, and doesn't have a camera! My old phone was a huge step up from this one. At least it had a 2MP camera (and is four years newer).

The best Amanda could offer was the same Samsung phone Bob offered back on October 1st. I explained I'd already turned that phone down. Then she brought up the "upgrade fee", something that had never been mentioned before. Oops... while every representative explained I'd have to pay $19.99 for the phone, no one had mentioned a $180 upgrade fee. I freaked, wanting to know why no-one had mentioned an upgrade fee before, not even the manager Chris. Oh, I'd spoken to a manager before?

That was when I got Jevan on the line. I don't know if I've spelled her name right. The email she promised she'd send at the end of the call hasn't arrived yet. She went through the "manager's list" and found my phone then offered a $39 upgrade fee instead (on top of the $19.99). I took it.

At this point I've been without a cellphone for a month... a cellphone I just paid $35 for (on top of my upgrade fees). I'm just hoping I'll have my phone back in the next few days and that this is the end of my Rogers issues.

The "fun" of working customer service

I work at the cash register for a national doughnut store chain. Most of the time when people finish ordering, they then move to the other side of the counter to pick up their food and drinks. This works well when there are two people at cash (one taking orders and one making drinks) but when it's just me it can get a little awkward. Often the next customer will come up wanting to place an order immediately but I've still got three drinks to make and doughnuts to pick up. And, depending on the time of day, I might have to make a sandwich too.

Today was no exception. I got an order for several fancier drinks (including flavourings, whipped cream, and a blender) plus some food items. That was when an older gentleman came up to the cash register and announced, with a heavy accent, "Egg salad. Egg salad and coffee".

I smiled and said, "I'll be with you in a minute sir, I'm serving another customer."

He repeated himself, "Egg salad and coffee."

I repeated myself and again was told, "Egg salad."

I thought for a minute. I could argue with him or I could ring in the egg salad sandwich, hope that someone popped onto the sandwich counter to make it while I made the drinks, then I could come back and finish his order.

So I went to the cash and said, "Is this for here or to go?"

He just smiled.

Scratch that. "Would you like your sandwich on white or whole wheat?"

Same smile. He gave no indication he knew what I was saying. Okay, white non-toasted bun it is. Keyed that into the cash register.

"What size coffee would you like sir?"

Same smile. Fine. Medium black. I can put some creams on the counter for him with the sandwich.

I held up one finger and said "Just a minute sir, I need to help the other customers."

This time he added a nod to his smile.

I made the drinks and went back to the cash register. I read the total amount to him and he handed me a fistful of change. I counted the change out and he had $1.85. A sandwich and a medium drink came to $4.90.

"I'm sorry sir," I explained. "This isn't enough money for a sandwich."

That was when he looked at me and clearly said, "I don't want a sandwich. I want an extra-large black coffee." His accent faded dramatically.

Thankfully no one had made his sandwich and I hadn't poured the coffee yet. If that's his idea of a hobby, I suggest needle point. If it's his idea of a joke, I suggest getting a book on elephant jokes out of the library. Pretending not to speak English just to confuse the cashier is bizarre.

Shortly after that I had an 80 something year old man try to pick me up. His parting words when I turned him down were, "Now don't you try and pretend I never offered." Sorry sir, but I'd much rather pretend this never happened at all.

I don't know when the full moon is, but from the behaviour today I would have sworn it was tonight. My sister assured me it's not and, thanks to Google, it's apparently not until the 12th at 2pm (which was more specific than what I was looking for but still interesting to know).

And woo hoo... I've got tomorrow off. I got asked if I wanted to work but it's my Mom's 65th birthday today (happy birthday Mom!) and my Dad splurged for a spa package for my Mom, my sisters and I for tomorrow. Sorry work, I'm too busy getting pampered tomorrow to come in for you! I figure I'll spend tomorrow morning writing and tomorrow afternoon getting pampered.

A friend of mine posted this picture on Facebook today. Thanks to my daughter, I now know it's by ironydesigns.com. It speaks to me and I'm sure my friends can relate to it as well! Thanks, Wanda, for putting it up on your wall.

What not to do in customer service take two

I called Rogers back today with what I thought were reasonable requests.

1. I am paying for a cell phone and I would like a cell phone I can use. I would like either the courtesy cell phone they insist is available as part of their handset protection plan or my own cell phone.

2. I only want a cell phone for two reasons. One is to use as a phone (that should be obvious) and two is to have it as a back up camera just in case something memorable happens when I don't have my real camera with me. I'm an avid scrapbooker and photography is very important to me. I would prefer the phone I chose originally, the Samsung Corby Pro, but if they have another cell phone with a decent camera I would be willing to accept that one instead.

3. I wanted an explanation on why I have to wait two weeks before I can pay $19.99 for the phone, instead of the $249 available at our local store (it says $279 online). Why can't they waive that two weeks?

First customer service representative on the phone was Bob. He was friendly and willing to try and help out. Unfortunately for Bob, he works on front line and didn't have any suggestions other than going through the list of phones they have currently available for people who had the misfortune of having their phone lost or stolen within the first 6 months of upgrading. The best he had to offer was the Samsung Gravity, which has a 1.3MP camera. Sorry, but if I'm going to be stuck with a phone for three years I want a phone that works for me. I don't want to pay $19.99 for a refurbished phone that does not suit my needs. Especially when I can pay the same price in two more weeks for my original phone. Speaking of which, why do I have to wait those two weeks?

Bob couldn't answer that and transferred me to Stacy in the customer service department. Stacy should have moved onto another job at least a year ago. She was cynical and hard-nosed and got onto the phone with the attitude that I was wasting her time and out to rip off her company. She didn't have anything to do with courtesy phones and she didn't know why I was bothering her about them. That was up to the stores. She didn't particularly care it was part of the plan her company offered. There was no way she could waive that two weeks, the charge for the phone would be automatic. She wouldn't be able to credit my account for the charge either. Besides, why should Rogers have to credit my account? She knew that I could have a phone in 5 days if I wanted. It didn't matter to her that the phones they were offering didn't suit my needs. That was when I barked "I want to speak to your manager NOW!"

Next on the line was Chris, ostensibly her manager, although chances are he was her supervisor. No one ever speaks to a real manager in a call centre. I reiterated my concerns yet again. By this time I'd been on the phone for an hour. Chris explained that they only offer the upgrade I'm getting (which is available to all new customers by the way) to people in their last two years of a contract. Again that "get them upgraded and onto a new contract before they quit" philosophy. So getting a new phone 6 months into a contract was really bending things for me. And there was no way they were going to budge with the two weeks.

I explained that my biggest issue was I currently don't have a phone. It's funny, I went without a cell phone for years but they're incredibly handy. I really could have used one yesterday. I got off the bus at the mall, leaving my son on the bus with plans of meeting his Dad at a bus stop farther down the road. Son was supposed to call his Dad as he passed the mall. This was to give his Dad time to get to the bus stop. As I was getting off the bus and the doors were closing, son informed me that his Dad wasn't answering his phone. And there I stood as the bus pulled away, with the dawning realization I had no cell phone. Son couldn't call me if he couldn't find his Dad and son had only ever been there once. That was when I went to the Rogers store in the mall and asked for a courtesy phone as my phone was lost. They didn't have one but, confronted by a ticked off and panicked Mom, were willing to let me use their store phone to contact my son. Who was luckily with his Dad by then.

Chris explained that he couldn't give me a courtesy phone, they weren't available through customer service (which is directly opposite of what the lady at the store in the mall thought). But blithely assured me there were 15 Rogers Plus stores in my area and at least one of them must have a courtesy phone. He would put a note in my file telling the sales clerk that I was to get a phone and I could use that until the 14th.

I lucked out, in a sense, as the first store clerk I talked to had literally just called all the stores in the area looking for a courtesy phone and not a single phone was available. Which saved me a heck of a lot of dialing but still left me without a phone.

So I called Rogers back and got John. John was so new to Rogers that he needed to speak to his coach before getting approval. By this point all I was asking was for a credit for the time without service. John calculated this to be fourteen or fifteen dollars but, surprise, I don't qualify for even that little of a discount on my bill. The best he was able to offer me was two months unlimited texting instead. Even though I don't text anyone other than my daughter, I took it. The other option was some sort of discounted long distance. I don't call anyone long distance so that was even less of a help than the texting. Thanks Rogers, for offering me services I don't need instead of a credit that would actually prove to be handy. So, if any of my friends get a sudden urge to text me in the next two months, feel free.

And Rogers, if you're going to offer a service like the courtesy phone, make sure it's a service you honestly have available AND make sure you explain it to your staff. Because, quite frankly, at this point I seem to know more about your courtesy phone plan than a good chunk of your staff and I'm not get getting paid by you. Speaking of which Rogers dear, with the number of times you've screwed me over the past two weeks, you really should pay me something. And I sure hope this was better for you than it was for me.

What not to do in customer service

I have been a customer of Rogers for years. I can't remember how many (and don't feel like digging out bills to find out) but long enough to qualify for "long term customer" status. Not only am I a long term customer but I'm a good long term customer. I pay my bill, in full every month... often pre-paying several weeks in advance. I have all my services with them as well: home phone, internet, cable TV, and cell phone.

When I originally got my cell phone, I picked out a cheap flip-phone. It had a camera that took relatively okay photos and it made calls; that's all I needed it for. I had that phone for years. After a few years I started getting letters in the mail encouraging me to upgrade the phone, then the letters came complete with lists of the phones I could choose. I ignored them as the phone was working fine.

By this spring my phone was looking shoddy. The silver paint had bubbled off and the screen was starting to break. I decided it was time and headed off to the local Rogers store to see what I could get. I looked around and picked out a great phone for me. It was easy to use, had a full keyboard for texting my daughter, and a 3mp camera for those times I want to remember and don't happen to have a camera with me. I agreed to another 3 year term and headed out with my new phone.

Last Monday I worked until 3pm. As I headed out to work that morning, I told my son that I'd be home before him. Then a lens fell out of my glasses while I was at work so I stopped off at the optometrist on the way home. By the time I got out of the office, son was already home so I gave him a quick call to let him know I was on my way.

I finished the call, tucked my phone back inside my work bag and trudged home in the rain. Got home, put on my pjs and declared I wasn't going out at all for the rest of the night. As usual, when I'm at home, I didn't use my cell phone.

The next morning my Mom called and asked if I wanted to go out shopping with her. On my way out the door I patted my purse and realized my cell phone wasn't inside, then went into my work bag to get it. It wasn't there. Checked my coat pocket... not there either. So I called the phone only to find out the phone was not in service. That struck me as odd. I knew it wasn't off and I'd charged it the night before so it wasn't dead.

I checked around the apartment when I got home and, by the next morning I had to admit it was gone. I walk home along a local highway so chances are it fell out of my bag and either landed in a puddle or got smucked by a car. The ironic thing is, I wasn't worried because when I'd got my new phone, I'd received a slip of paper stating they have a handset protection plan so I knew I was covered.

I went to the Rogers store today to get my phone replaced, totally believing I'd be walking out of that store with a phone in hand. Only to be told, oops, it was too close to my renewal date to get a new phone. Note, not that it was too close to the end of my contract; I just signed on with them for another three years last month. I really only qualified for a new phone in my last 12 months of my contract. And, since it had been less than 6 months since my phone was replaced, I didn't qualify for getting the same type of phone. If I wanted the same phone I had to pay $249... the same as anyone without a contract. Just think on that... being a good customer for years gets you the same assistance as someone walking in off the street WHO DOESN'T WANT A CONTRACT and less help than someone new who wants a contract. The only time they're truly willing to help is when you're almost finished your obligation with them and are able to walk away.

Since the lady at the desk couldn't help she suggested I talk to customer service on the phone in case they could offer more help. Fair enough, I used to work in a call centre and know they have more options (depending on which level you're talking to). I also snagged their pamphlet on the handset protection plan. First I discussed the free courtesy phone I was supposed to receive. Only to find out that the store didn't actually have any. Note, in the fine print it says that you "might" be charged a $50 deposit for this phone. I was told it was mandatory, with the rep saying in shocked tones "we couldn't just hand out free phones to everyone". Note, handing a free replacement phone to a long-term customer (who has to return it to pick up their new phone AND who is already paying a monthly bill) isn't the same as handing them out on the street corner. I dropped that argument as moot since, despite their promise to have a replacement ready at the store, they had none available. No point in getting worked up over a $50 deposit on something that doesn't exist.

I talked to two separate reps on the phone and got told the same things repeatedly that I already mentioned above. It didn't matter how long I'd been a customer, the best they could offer was having me wait until October 14th. That's the magical six month date for how long I've had the phone. On October 13th I have to pay full price, on October 14th I can get the phone for $19.99 (with a three year contract).

So they're going to make me wait two and a half weeks without a cell phone. Either that or fork out $229 extra (or get a cheap flip-phone that *might* have a camera).

I'm sure, they'll have all sorts of wonderful deals to offer when I tell them I'm closing my account. But that's not customer service. Customer service is treating the customer with respect all the time, not when they're walking away. Customer service is saying, "Yes, I see you've been a valued customer of ours for years. We'll waive that two weeks for you." It's not making a customer sit without service (service I am currently paying for I might add) for weeks. It's not telling them they only qualify for better service when they're able to walk away and choose another provider.

For now they have me by the short and curlies. It would cost me several hundred dollars in early termination fees if I cancelled now. Taking another three month contract on my phone is nothing... it's literally tacking on *one* extra month. But they can consider this my farewell letter. As of October 15, 2014, I'm done with Rogers.