We are not kidding. These tips have been tested repeatedly.
They have saved hours of time and cured countless headaches.
How to bypass the phone tree and get your credit-card issuer to
answer your call quickly.
I have used this trick when calling from my cell phone to reduce
airtime. I've used it when calling from phones that don't
generate proper touch tones. I've also used it when I get sick of
being on hold. Please use in moderation or it won't work any more.
Look on the back of your card for the phone number to call collect
from overseas. Dial that number direct (you can afford it). Your
bank doesn't wants you to get through quickly on this number because
they think they are paying overseas collect phone rates. Note: at
some times of day, the regular number works faster than this one.
Please try the regular number first.
What to do if your utility or credit-card issuer asks you to call their
credit department
The credit department is actually a "collection" department, they are
used to dealing with deadbeats, and they will probably treat you like
one. Unless you really are a deadbeat, call customer service instead.
For credit line increases always call customer service. Credit-card
issuers also have an "authorization" department that authorizes
particular charges but they only give that number out to merchants.
Even if you manage to get that number, if customer service can't help
you authorization probably can't easier (although they are nicer about it).
Note: if you every call a company you do business with and they start
treating you like dirt, you probably called their collection
department by accident. Excuse yourself politely and call customer
service.
How to get big companies like Dell, Palm, and eBay to answer your
questions correctly (!), respond to your bug reports, etc.
Use the links on their sites to email customer support. Do not call.
You will waste your time on hold and get wrong answers.
If you get an immediate reply, it's an autoresponse. Don't ignore it.
If should contain a link, an address, or other instructions on how to
get a real respone to your questions.
If you get an incorrect response or a really stupid response, don't
give up. Reply to the email. Repeat your question for the sake of
the next person to read your email, and point out that they didn't
really answer it. In addition, re-send the original question without.
Your email will typically be answered by different people each time.
Don't worry. Eventually one of them will take the time to read your
question and figure out the answer. When that finally happens, be
sure to thank the genius who answered your question. Include his name
so maybe he will get credit for a job well done. It probably doesn't
hurt to point out how many wrong answers you got so his supervisor
will realize how hard the question was (or how many idiots he has
working for him). Don't let the wrong answers frustrate you. They
are usually generated by pressing a single hot key on a console
somewhere in Asia. Don't bother pointing out how stupid or irrelevant
the hotkeyed answers are. Feel free, however, to tease the respondent
for being too lazy to read your question. After some number of
incorrect responses, they may recommend that you call their $25/hour
paid tech support line. I've never tried it, presuming it to be a
waste of both time and money. That recommendation is also hotkeyed,
and means it's time for you to end the thread and re-send your original
question.
Here are a couple of useful email support links:
Dell
answers customer support and technical support email in about 12 hours
on average, their answers are usually much better than what you get on
the phone, and you have it in writing (very useful when you want to
know if your warranty is transferable).
Palm
usually takes 10 tries to give me a correct answer, but I ask them hard
questions.
Other links can usually be found by doing a google search for
site:fillintheblank.com "contact us"
When to call tech support
If you have, say, a Dell service tag or
express service code, by all means call. You paid for the warranty,
and you might as well use it.
When to call customer service
If you get an email with a call-back number that is different from
the usual customer service number, give it a try. Some of these
numbers connect to people who are really good at their jobs. If you
find a number that works well be sure to save it. If you speak to
someone who is really helpful and efficient, be sure to thank him and ask
for his extension or direct number.
If you don't get the service you paid for (e.g., you have a
next-day service contract but it takes two days to get service, or
your ISP is down for two days straight),
complain to customer service and ask them for compensation. Tech
support may apologize for the problem, but they can't give you any
money. When dealing with ISPs it is helpful to threaten to cancel
your service, but only when talking to customer service.
