Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Big business is bollocks
I've been having fun recently after moving house.
I say fun, what I mean is stress-inducing, aneurysm-popping hell that is trying to sort stuff out with companies who couldn't spell customer service, let alone practise it.
My main annoyance is with my car insurers who, to protect their identity, I will call Lirect Dine.
I've already been peed off with them after they charged me more than £100 for moving from a dodgy estate in Oxford to a quiet cul-de-sac in High Wycombe where there was zero chance of getting my car keyed or broken into, as was attempted in Oxford.
So when I moved to Bury, I was expecting my postcode not to be as expensive as the £100+ hike, only to find out when I rang that my premium wasn't going to change.
That is until I got the form back, where it said that, although I had moved, my car was going to be stationed at my previous address.
???
Just what kind of idiot would think that, yes he's moved but he might leave his car behind?
So another phone call to tell them that I was controversially taking my car with me, only for them to inform me that to do that would cost an extra £60.
I couldn't believe it either.
It then got worse when I complained about the £160+ rise and it making no sense, only to be told that my premium hadn't gone up by more than £100 when I last moved. Either that's a downright lie or the system records crap data.
Either way, it doesn't exactly lend yourself to having confidence in the company. Anyway, I've changed my car insurers now. After six years of my loyalty to them, I've got a deal that's more than £600 less than what they were offering. Obviously, I was a valued customer.
Next on my list. Estate Agents. Now the ones I used were OK I suppose but why, after it taking a week to go through credit checks, do they insist on being paid the first month's rent and deposit by cash or banker's draft? Isn't the whole point of a credit check to prove I am both able and willing to pay them. And if not, why the hell do we have them?
Then there's NatWest who, at the beginning of the year, kept ringing me to arrange a financial review.
To be honest I didn't really want a review as it would go something like this:
- How are your finances?
- Fine.
- Do you want any of our services?
- No.
Anyway, they kept pestering me so I said I would have one over the phone. They arranged a time to ring, and then nothing.
A week later, someone rang saying I needed a review. I said I'd agreed but no-one rang. They apologised and said someone would get in touch about arranging a review.
No-one rang.
Then they rang again saying I needed a financial review. I pointed out the previous calls. They apologised profusely and arranged a time for me to have a review over the phone.
Have a guess what failed to happen.
At least they have stopped ringing me. Maybe they heard my telepathic thoughts that the next time this happened, I was going to close my account with them. Who can say?
And finally (for now), good old BT. I phoned them more than two weeks ago and the woman was pretty helpful. The phone call took quite a long time but it was free and I knew exactly what I was getting.
Or should be getting.
For, as yet, I still don't have my landline. I do have a landline belonging to the previous tenant who had a contract with another company. That works fine but BT haven't got round to changing it round for me. They were meant to sort it on Friday, two weeks after I first phoned (earliest time the engineer could come round), but he failed to show. I did get an apology but, this is three weeks later now. All someone needs to do is pretty much flick a button at the exchange and it's sorted.
How can it take so long? Answers on a postcard (and not by phone coz it's not sorted)
I say fun, what I mean is stress-inducing, aneurysm-popping hell that is trying to sort stuff out with companies who couldn't spell customer service, let alone practise it.
My main annoyance is with my car insurers who, to protect their identity, I will call Lirect Dine.
I've already been peed off with them after they charged me more than £100 for moving from a dodgy estate in Oxford to a quiet cul-de-sac in High Wycombe where there was zero chance of getting my car keyed or broken into, as was attempted in Oxford.
So when I moved to Bury, I was expecting my postcode not to be as expensive as the £100+ hike, only to find out when I rang that my premium wasn't going to change.
That is until I got the form back, where it said that, although I had moved, my car was going to be stationed at my previous address.
???
Just what kind of idiot would think that, yes he's moved but he might leave his car behind?
So another phone call to tell them that I was controversially taking my car with me, only for them to inform me that to do that would cost an extra £60.
I couldn't believe it either.
It then got worse when I complained about the £160+ rise and it making no sense, only to be told that my premium hadn't gone up by more than £100 when I last moved. Either that's a downright lie or the system records crap data.
Either way, it doesn't exactly lend yourself to having confidence in the company. Anyway, I've changed my car insurers now. After six years of my loyalty to them, I've got a deal that's more than £600 less than what they were offering. Obviously, I was a valued customer.
Next on my list. Estate Agents. Now the ones I used were OK I suppose but why, after it taking a week to go through credit checks, do they insist on being paid the first month's rent and deposit by cash or banker's draft? Isn't the whole point of a credit check to prove I am both able and willing to pay them. And if not, why the hell do we have them?
Then there's NatWest who, at the beginning of the year, kept ringing me to arrange a financial review.
To be honest I didn't really want a review as it would go something like this:
- How are your finances?
- Fine.
- Do you want any of our services?
- No.
Anyway, they kept pestering me so I said I would have one over the phone. They arranged a time to ring, and then nothing.
A week later, someone rang saying I needed a review. I said I'd agreed but no-one rang. They apologised and said someone would get in touch about arranging a review.
No-one rang.
Then they rang again saying I needed a financial review. I pointed out the previous calls. They apologised profusely and arranged a time for me to have a review over the phone.
Have a guess what failed to happen.
At least they have stopped ringing me. Maybe they heard my telepathic thoughts that the next time this happened, I was going to close my account with them. Who can say?
And finally (for now), good old BT. I phoned them more than two weeks ago and the woman was pretty helpful. The phone call took quite a long time but it was free and I knew exactly what I was getting.
Or should be getting.
For, as yet, I still don't have my landline. I do have a landline belonging to the previous tenant who had a contract with another company. That works fine but BT haven't got round to changing it round for me. They were meant to sort it on Friday, two weeks after I first phoned (earliest time the engineer could come round), but he failed to show. I did get an apology but, this is three weeks later now. All someone needs to do is pretty much flick a button at the exchange and it's sorted.
How can it take so long? Answers on a postcard (and not by phone coz it's not sorted)
