Have you ever got amazingly lousy customer service?  Recently I've experienced a wave of it.  From Vonage customer support reps that claim they don't know policy and claim I as a customer did not complete forms or fax them when I had archived faxed copies in a binder to prove I had ...to Vonage simply not executing an order for months or replying to e-mail trouble tickets for days. 

Then there was today...  I saw a Sony HDTV DVR on an EBay auction and wondered how it compared to the DirecTV version.  I figured I'd call the auction seller.  It was a company based out of New York City called DataVision Computer Video.  I called the 800 number and followed the instructions to talk to a sales representative. He answers the phone like he was in a hurry.  I explain I was just reviewing the unit on their EBay auction and wondered how it compared to the DirecTV version.  I could not have been any more specific and clear.

His reply stunned me.  "We don't offer technical support."  I then restated my point for calling, "I'm not calling for support, I'm trying to choose between the two." 

I was ready now for a brutal reply, what I got was a terse response, "We don't sell that."  So with that I figured New York's 2005 Editors Pick for best computer store was a joke.  I closed the call with, "Have a nice day" to which I abruptly hung up.

I'm here to tell you that with my company SpyProductions (http://spyproductions.com) customer service is all you have in today's world.  Anyone can find anything cheaper unless you have a monopoly and you guessed it, these companies genuinely forget all about customer care until they have an adversary.  Vonage comes to mind.  They have a great on-line billing manager and the automation is fantastic but call them on the phone and they just can't deliver.  At least they answer the phone.  Calling my local cable company is a headache.

Then there is Xbox Live.  A Microsoft owned service.  Their failure in customer support is in policy.

First try finding their phone number!  When you do, hope you don't have a problem.  They have no flexibility at all.  I had an on-line account suspended due to non-pay (card expired and did not get mail as I was out of the house that month).  I called them and they said I could not pay them to restore the account.  Further more they said I had to pay the account or it would be sent to collections.  Get this, I would have to pay for the service despite not getting the service.  They wanted an annual pre-payment for service I wouldn't get because they could not restore the account. I called various departments and got nowhere.  And because Xbox Live is the only on-line service running through Xbox there is no competition to hold Xbox Live's feet to the fire and make them improve customer care.

The outcome?  With Vonage I have to stomach bad service until a suitable competitor emerges.  I won't ever do business with Data Vision Computer Video out of New York and neither should you for good reason ...And I have learned that Xbox Live is a rigid service that doesn't deserve my business but I have no choice. 

Note if you have an Xbox I advise you put a label on your Xbox or Xbox's with the renewal date of your Live service and know that you must cancel before the renewal or you pay for next year regardless of how much you use.  Here are their numbers in case you ever need them: 800.469.9269 and 800.386.5550 but don't expect much, the employees are bound by policy with no wiggle room to serve you.

I guess what I've learned from the past week is that customer service vital to a companies image and reputation.  I'm an idealist and believe good customer service is extremely important.  I won't eat a certain restaurants because of employees.  I don't do business with some companies because of employees and I stay away from some companies because of flawed customer service policies.  I'd like to think I'm not the only person that thinks like this.  It can be hard sticking to principals and no longer buying things from businesses that don't care about me, but if I don't stand up for for good customer care, why should anyone else? We all add up, one customer at a time.