Damaged Reputation

Caution: Incoming Rant-ish Post

When my wife and I moved in to our apartment 3 years ago, I didn’t want to get our internet from one of the two big providers in my area (I’m looking at you, Bell and Rogers). After asking around my office, it sounded like TekSavvy was the way to go; their rates were reasonable, and they had some key features like static IP address and such a high download cap as to be essentially unlimited. For 3 years, I recieved excellent internet access, and the rare occasions when I had issues, their technical support was exceptionally knowledgeable. I sang their praises to anyone who needed an ISP, or who hated their current one. Then, last Sunday, my modem died. No fault of TekSavvy’s – stuff breaks down. I had opted to buy my modem instead of renting, so after spending the weekend trying to coax a bit more life out of my modem, I called in to order a new one. That’s when things started to go wrong…

The person I spoke with in Customer Service was reasonably plesant, considering it was a Sunday afternoon – I know how much it sucks to work weekends – and we got down to the billing for the modem. Initially, I indicated that I wanted the cost put on my regular bill, but the Customer Service agent explained that it can take a LOT longer to get it that way, since they have to get the money from the Bank before they ship the modem. Seems like a fair policy to me, so I asked to put it on my credit card. I gave them all the info, and was told to expect to see the notice in 2-3 business days. I hung up, confident that by Wednesday, I’d have a shiny new modem and be reconnected to the tubes.

Wednesday came and went, and no modem. At first, I chalked it up to Canada Post – it’s a busy time of year for them, what with Christmas coming and all. By Friday, I was getting a little annoyed, but resolved to be patient and wait until Monday. By Monday evening, I was pretty cranky – a week of paying for internet access that I couldn’t have didn’t exactly sit well. I called their customer service, and they tracked the package to a post office halfway across the city (according to Canada Post). After talking to someone at that outlet, I was able to figure out that there was something seriously amiss with the package – they didn’t have anything that was addressed to my address!

In the end, I’ve been able to clear it up with their Customer Service department – my new modem will be shipped ASAP, and delivered tomorrow. While I was glad that they resolved the issue quickly, the fact that this issue happened in the first place has done some serious damage to their reputation in my books. I won’t be recommending them again any time soon – their technical side is great, but their Customer Service definitely needs some work. Hopefully, they’ll remind their Customer Service agents that (a) confirming a shipping address is very important, and (b) if a customer says they want to bill their credit card, and give you the card information, then bill their damn card.