10-10-987 ABSOLUTELY USLESS!






(Posted 6-18-04)

As some of you may have read already I’m completely disgusted with MCI’s 10-10-987’s service. For those of you who are not familiar with this, you simply dial 10-10-987 before the long distance or international call that is to be made and its 39 cents to connect and 3 cents per minute thereafter. So I use this to call overseas on occasion. So far their customer service has stunk, I’ve achieved absolutely nothing in the months that I’ve called them back and forth and their ‘service issues’ are a conundrum.

I learned years ago that when dealing with anyone on the phone to get their name or operator number. I learned the hard way years ago by not asking for such information and then later on down the road being asked, “…well, who did you talk to before, then?” “…and what department was the person in that you talked to?” etc, etc…need I say anymore.

On Thursday June 3rd, 2004 I called MCI’s Priority Customer Support and spent a long time explaining to a supervisor there how I’d been disconnected by using 10-10-987’s service a few times and that I refused to pay the 39 cent connection fee “again” to re complete the call. While listening to me (on that call) she took everything down and added all the disconnection fees together and then emailed it off to some other MCI employee who I’d never speak to and had no idea of my frustrations. An appalling way to do business in itself!

And before I ended that call, not only did I get the ladies name but also what “location” she worked out of.

I don’t know if many of you know this about MCI, but being one of the largest telecommunications servers out there, if you want to dispute a complaint and are getting nowhere you have to WRITE a letter to the powers that be at MCI. This has been told to me so many times by MCI operators and supervisors that I’m sick of hearing it. How much more pathetic can you get when an issue that you have with a telecommunications company can only be resolved by WRITING a bloody letter? There’s something radically wrong with that unto itself.

Also as I pointed out in my other 10-10-987 story, it should be down to the person on the other end of the phone who is listening to your frustration who in my eyes should have the authority there and then to offer you a credit. Not some bozo who could be hundreds of miles away who simply reviews a few lines of text and discredits you and your issue/s like its used toilet paper.

So the reason why I’d called MCI’s Priority Customer Support today was because I got a letter in the mail this morning from Telecom USA. This is an umbrella company under MCI, they are 10-10-987. I’m amazed that the letter was even delivered. Firstly, it was addressed wrongly. Secondly, my name was completely wrong. And last but not least this 3 lined pathetically written document was worded in my opinion as a paradox. The letter read as follows:

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After a thorough investigation, we have determined that the disputed charges are legitimate. Therefore, no credit is warranted at this time. You are a valued customer to Telecom USA and we appreciate your business. We look forward to the opportunity to continue servicing your account.

Sincerely,

Blah, blah.

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Doesn’t; “that the disputed charges are legitimate” mean that what I’m protesting about is valid? Am I looking at this wrong or something?

So the operator answers today at MCI’s Priority Customer Support and instead of wasting another half an hour explaining all of this again, I simply ask for the lady that I’d spoken to on June 3rd. Hence I gave her the ladies full name AND the calling center that she works out of. Can this be anymore more simple? Well remember you’re dealing with MCI, a company might I add that has some of the most back assed logic ways of dealing with things, period?

“Oh I’m sorry I cannot transfer you.”

“OK, then can you give me the phone number to the ladies department that I’m trying to reach.”

“I cannot do that Sir, I don’t have that information.”

“So let me get this straight. I take down a supervisors’ name that I’ve spent over half an hour with on a call. This person is very familiar with my issues. I also take down her name and where she works. Now you’re telling me that you have “NO WAY” of putting me back in touch with her calling center. Then what is the point in any of you giving out your names, operator numbers or locations for that matter, if the customer has NO way of ever getting back in touch any of you again?”

“Sorry Sir, I have no way of connecting you.”

“This is ridiculous, this isn’t some farmer on a rice paddy in Taiwan who has no phone and gets all his communication through his neighbor up the street. This is one of the largest telecommunication providers in the world and you CAN’T connect me to another department? That’s beyond me!”

After going back and forth with this operator I asked her for a phone number to the highest ranked person in the MCI network. She gave me all kinds of crap for a while saying that supervisors were the highest form of authority that one could talk to. At the end of our conversation I finally got the phone number for the Executive Office for MCI. I’ve asked for this information so many times over the years and its never been given to me. It’s almost like the upper ranks of this company are hidden behind some 400 foot concrete wall. Does this sound like Ebay's higher ranks also?

I got off the phone, called that number and left a message. If I ever hear back I’ll let you know.

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UPDATE 6-21-04. I got a call today from the executive office in Iowa City, IA. I had a long talk with a gentleman there who wasn't rude but after 45 minutes finally gave me the simple answer that I'd been waiting for, for months. "You will be credited the amounts owed to you." There was no real apology for all the bull shit that I've gone through up to this point. He continued by saying, "ANY supervisor could have issued you a credit when you called, and I will look into that." And you wonder why this company was in a financial situation a few years back? What a way to run a business eh?

I explained to him that I found it completely ridiculous in that I had to explain myself from the very start every time that I spoke to a different supervisor and that it didn't make any sense whatsoever that I couldn't simply be put through to the SAME supervisor again (each time). This is logic isn't it; as he or she would be very familiar with my situation already (up to that point)? Running a business this way would also save time for the customer and MCI staff. To this he responded, "Well if we assigned or gave out our personal phone numbers to each client that had a problem, it would be impossible, as we are not staffed for that kind of thing?" I replied to this by saying, "So MCI's way of looking at this, is to have each frustrated customer explain themselves right from the beginning every time to a NEW supervisor. This ten minute to half hour ordeal EACH TIME is pure logic to MCI is it? To me its wasting our time, your time and only creates more anger and hatred from the customers standpoint. Maybe if you DID give out your location and direct numbers to the customer, it would not only save you and the clients time, but it would also create better relations between us. And adding to that, I'm sure this way of doing business would save you a lot of money in the long run. But you can't see that logic as a company can you?"

What more can I say, I'm dealing with logic where logic doesn't exist here. Just like AT&T, both of these companies seem to be going backwards and not forwards in customer relations!

UPDATE 10-30-04.

Get ready for it, today, Saturday 10-30-04. SIX MONTHS AND ONE WEEK AFTER MCI PUT IN A REQUEST TO Q WEST, (MY LOCAL CARRIER), I FINALLY GOT MY CREDIT. I BELIEVE YOU'VE ALL READ ENOUGH AND I HAVE TO SAY NO MORE ON THIS MATTER.

I will NEVER use ANY MCI service again. This has got to be one of the most appalling companies out there to deal with. Thanks for reading, Johnny Anderson.

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