By Mark Huffman
ConsumerAffairs.com
July 6, 2009
Automated customer service systems, such as virtual assistants, live chat or automated chats, may be cost-saving features for large businesses, but they can present a frustrating experience for consumers. There are limits, after all, to what technology can do.
Rachael, of Wellfleet, Massachusetts, discovered that when she used the "Send Money" feature of Paypal. She sent $500 to her daughter on June 26, but was peeved that the money--though removed from her account immediately--was still not credited to her daughters account July 4.
Using Paypals "virtual customer service," she wrote "I am so angry! I used the Send Money feature of Paypal and sent my daughter $500 on June 26. That $500 went out of my bank account so fast I could hardly believe it, and yet it still has not been credited to her bank account on July 4. I could have sent her a personal check by mail and she would have had the money in hand in 2 days. This is a lousy system and I think everyone should know the truth about it."
"Sorry, but your phrase is too long and I will not be able to perform a full analysis, the Paypal computer replied. "I would be very grateful if you could try to make it a bit shorter and more concise."
So Rachel tried again.
"Angry customer," she wrote. "Money sent via Send Money June 26. Still not credited to recipient's account July 4. Complaint to be lodged to consumer protection Websites."
Again, the Paypal computer had a hard time getting it.
"Sorry, but your phrase is too long and I will not be able to perform a full analysis. I would be very grateful if you could try to make it a bit shorter and more concise."
By now, Rachel was getting a little hot under the collar. "ANGRY. MONEY SENT VIA SEND MONEY NOT CREDITED IN BANK," she wrote.
Incredibly, she says, she received this response:
"Could you be more precise please? I would like information about sending money. How do I register for PayPal shipping with UPS?"
So now Rachel says she has two complaints about Paypal. Emergency funds were not accessible to her daughter and the virtual assistant she tried to communicate with was no help at all.
More and more businesses are cutting back on real, live customer service, relying on email forms, automated chats, and "Press 1"-style phone directory trees, when they aren't hiding phone numbers or eliminating them altogether. Stories like Rachel's are going to become all-too-common in the very near future.
