Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/06/26/23-customer-service-hacks-and-tricks-shared-by-redditors.html
…
3 Likes
Can confirm #1, 2, 5 & 7. For 1&2, I’ll just repeat swearing and “operator” over and over if the automated system gives me any runaround whatsoever. Alternately, instead of “customer service”, use the “sales” option as they always have that one prioritized and it’s often the same damn people. I’ve gotten #5 to work numerous times with Spectrum, even though they have a regional monopoly and know I can’t switch (that is until our community fiber rolls out in the next few months!). I also use #7 all the time, but you do lose access to Wikipedia and search features, unfortunately.
3 Likes
I was able to drop the price of my (all) Adobe subscription to $39 a month, by going (partway) through the cancel option on the website, and selecting “because of the cost”. They hit me back with an offer of a year at that reduced rate. It’s still a pisser that I have to pay to be able to earn a living, but $39 is better than $56 or whatever it went up to most recently.
4 Likes
Sad testament of American society that these “hacks” are even necessary to begin with.
20 Likes
All those “hacks” seems applicable to the US milieu but not to me.
Here’s one I have found useful. If you’re trying to call Customer Service and you don’t want to navigate through the seemingly endless system of button presses needed to reach a human, just call the Sales line. They’ll answer a lot faster.
5 Likes
… They forgot the Ultimate hack of all:
BEING POLITE.
Verbally abusing the poor schmuck on the other end of the phone will not get you what you want, while being courteous polite and willing to work with them will frequently give you points. (along with thanking them.)
I’ve never tried #1, #2 frequently doesn’t do jack or shit for me,
#15 for most places (threatening to bring in a lawyer) will make things worse because a lot of places will just say “have your contact our lawyer, we are not allowed to do anything else, HAND”.
#17, the garbage truck operators in my city hardly stop to pick the trash barrels up, let along talk to customers. The city does offer a bulk pickup service which is about the same cost, compared to the hassle of loading it in my truck and driving it up the landfill myself. (that, and I don’t get stinky outside of hauling the stuff to the curb.)
#19 is older than time, but if you pay attention to both the use by dates and (if the package is clear) examining the product, you can make sure you are getting your money’s worth. (I do that with the pre-packaged salad kits and fixings)
13 Likes
-
Tip #2 (saying “representative”, or “customer service,” or “human” repeatedly to an automated phone system) has about a 50% success rate for me. When it doesn’t work, repeatedly pressing 0 has a moderate success rate. If none of the above works, starting a fresh call and then refusing to say or press anything sometimes gets you connected to a human (and sometimes gets you automatically hung-up on).
-
Tip #5 (retention rate haggling) has almost always worked for me on cable and internet access. Much lower success rate in some other industries. Be aware that you truly do have to be willing to go through with your threat to discontinue service – if they offer you a deal before you start the process of canceling service, it tends to be a very minimal one. Better deals tend to surface as you work your way through the process, sometimes right up to the last step. Becomes a bit of a game of chicken, honestly, which I hate.
-
Tip #11 Cart Abandonment Discounts – I’ve accidentally stumbled into these a few times and they can end up being some really good discounts. If you can wait 48 hours before buying, it’s almost always worth it to leave the items you want in the cart to see if they’ll try to tempt you back.
2 Likes
#15 - Yep. I had an issue with Wells Fargo (who hasn’t?!) but I knew the cost of suing couldn’t be justified (I think it was only $75). It was their error but they refused. The call was nearly over when I said that I would be passing along the information to the Attorney General’s office and, somehow, a courtesy discount was offered.
Bonus hack - (2nd hand, I’ve never tried it). A guy had an issue with a car he purchased. He couldn’t justify a lawsuit, but it could justify small claims court. So, he talked to the dealership’s shop manager about the repairs, the used car sales manager about the value of his car as-is versus repaired, he talked to the new car manager about trade-in value on a new car, I think even the finance department manager… and then he went to the general manager. He told the general manager, but still couldn’t get him to make things right. So, the then told the GM about all the people he talked to about this issue and that he would call all of them to appear in small claims court. They’d have to be there at 8:00 AM and sit there until the case was called, which might be all day. No new or used sales could be approved, no service tickets written–it would effectively close the dealership for a day. The GM gave in.
18 Likes
#2: I figured out a while ago that the phrase “I want to talk to a real person” cuts through a lot of automated telephone crap.
#5: Ah, the SiriusXM gambit.
#9: I always wondered about nitrogen in tires. Air is roughly 80% nitrogen to begin with so I never understood how filtering out the other 20% could make that much difference.
10 Likes
Hospital Bill Negotiation “Hospital bills are negotiable, to a degree. Always ask for an itemized bill and put some effort into analyzing it.”
That doesn’t sound like negotiation, it sounds like catching the hospital trying to rip you off.
11 Likes
Vulture Venture Capital, and the general state of the US “Health” “System” means that hospitals in the United States are indeed trying to rip you off at all times.
Individual health care workers are usually doing the best they can (there’s always That Guy), but the system has been designed over decades as a money extraction scheme first and foremost.
9 Likes
I find this difficult to believe.
4 Likes
Helped out crewing for a CanAm team in the early 80s. Inflating tires with nitrogen meant they stayed pretty much the same pressure as the tires heated up. With just air (as we did the first year) I’d have to recheck and adjust the tire pressure on the grid after the warmup laps. Several psi diff.
But for street tires, and any claims about longevity etc., that’s snake oil BS.
8 Likes
Yep. If you’re speaking with an outsourced reception, often their KPI bonuses are often tied to call length and compliments (even minor ones like “you’ve been very helpful”). If you blow out their time by being an angry dickhead and evading their questions, it’s in their best interests to do as little as possible for you. Meeting what’s really the bare minimum of courtesy for speaking to people works out in your favour.
5 Likes
Believe me, this doesn’t work with Crapcast. I have the demolished phone to prove it.
And yes I’ve already unplugged, replugged, rebooted and waited several hours for your reconnect request to go thru.
6 Likes
Yep. Whenever I was asked if I wanted nitrogen in the tires, I’d reply saying “I’m running a custom 80/20 nitrogen/oxygen blend.” 
16 Likes
pro tip, it’s a sell by date, not a use by date. and if you mess up my shelves, your use by date might come quicker than you think. 
you have been warned.
9 Likes
Checked my fridge & pantry. Eggs & milk had “sell by”. Bagged salad & most canned goods had “use by”, with some canned goods saying “best by” which sounds to me like “should use by (but you do you)”. Most OTC medications had an expiration date which also sounds like “use by”.
Finally, my experiences with milk over the years have taught me that the “sell by” dates are better interpreted as “use by” (or more accurately as “will go bad just a couple days after”) and if I buy milk too close to the supposed “sell by” date I’ll end up pouring some of it down the drain.
In any event, I don’t hesitate to check the items in back if I think I need to but I don’t leave a mess behind either.
6 Likes
I did this for a number of years but this year, no discount 
3 Likes
I think the major ISPs have been broken for a very long time.
6 Likes
