The increasing incompetence of companies

[throwaway4372]

Went into nationwide to make my final mortgage payment.

Guy> how will you pay?
Me> from this lloyds debit card
Guy> we dont accept those. We take cash, or..
Me> so i can get cash from that cash machine right there *points* using this same card, and you'll accept that?
Guy> yep

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Card fees, they aren’t going to take that hit on a loan payment.

 

[Stu999]

Went into nationwide to make my final mortgage payment.

Guy> how will you pay?
Me> from this lloyds debit card
Guy> we dont accept those. We take cash, or..
Me> so i can get cash from that cash machine right there *points* using this same card, and you'll accept that?
Guy> yep

You had £300 to pay off your mortgage? Why did you go to a branch at all, couldn't you just do a transfer?

 

[throwaway4372]

You had £300 to pay off your mortgage? Why did you go to a branch at all, couldn't you just do a transfer?

Preference. Could have done nothing and they would have taken it on the usual day. Had bad experience with the final student loan payment so wanted to make sure it was done properly.

 

[Stu999]

Preference. Could have done nothing and they would have taken it on the usual day. Had bad experience with the final student loan payment so wanted to make sure it was done properly.

God yes, what a farce the SLC was.

 

[HangTime]

It doesn't seem noticeably worse to me. Service/competence has always been bad from some companies. I'd say your point of comparison (3-4yrs ago) was hardly a pinnacle.

 

[cheesefest]

God yes, what a farce the SLC was.

With the SLC t&c’s at the time I was at Uni, the debt dies with you. Only paid off about £850 in 15 years as when the min salary goes up for repayments, my salary was/is a few hundred short.

Only paid repayment when I had bonuses! Plus working loads of ot when I helped out training new starters at a new call centre in Swansea. Worked in the Leeds cc. Out of the 23 in my team, only four had driving licences- one was me! So the four drivers had two weeks down in Swansea - taking 3 others in hired cars. Then the others had a week there. Worked 8am-9pm ten days with Sundays off. Didn’t get to visit Swansea city centre as call centre and hotel were in the same area

 

[Mrwong]

Is this something I'm just imagining, or have others noticed the same?

Every day, I have so many disputes I have a spreadsheet.

 

[Surveyor]

Every day, I have so many disputes I have a spreadsheet.

Read the post, saw who the poster was, unsurprised.

 

[Jono8]

It is getting worse. Every large company is just a joke now. It is almost always pointless talking to their "customer service", and all their logistics are extremely automated to the point of being illogical and stupid.

I think the reliance on technology, the sheer size of some companies now, and the ever increasing greed of owners and execs is just going to continue to make things worse and worse.

 

[Haggisman]

It doesn't seem noticeably worse to me. Service/competence has always been bad from some companies. I'd say your point of comparison (3-4yrs ago) was hardly a pinnacle.

It's always been bad from some companies, but I've definitely noticed a marked decline more recently to the point that these days I'm genuinely surprised when I receive good (or even just acceptable!) service.

I think @b0rn2sk8 hit the nail on the head in that a lot of companies realised they were able to get away with it under the guise of "covid", and so why bother?

 

[DXP55]

This is why I escaped Brum 45 yrs ago. I can not imagine what it is like today.

 

[cheesefest]

I worked for various call centres. Training varied from 2 days (seriously undertrained) to six weeks.

Some call centres throw their new employees in the deep end. They employees get calls they don’t know what to do. They get annoyed and don’t last long.

Curiously interested to see a correlation between length of training and length of service.

 

[Dis86]

So get this.

Get back from work and there's a flag post outside my place advertising my property is now up for let!

And by outside, I mean they've gone and bolted it onto my metal garden/patio frame that surrounds the door, by drilling into the damn thing!

Absolutely livid. Rang my mortgage company and of course, nothing but lulwut.

Connells are gonna ******* get it in the morning.

What happened with this?

 

[Chris Wilson]

Every day, I have so many disputes I have a spreadsheet.

I am the same, I am getting to the age where I either need a minder or learn to keep my gob shut, according to the wife

 

[Chris Wilson]

What happened with this?

Either the bloke from Connells is having rectal surgery to remove a flagpole, or the wife's flogged the house, run off with her stylist, and he's living in his mate's caravan.

 

[Haggisman]

This is why I escaped Brum 45 yrs ago. I can not imagine what it is like today.

Hmm, that's a possibility I hadn't considered actually. So all of these national (and in some cases multi-national) companies are conspiring together to provide poor service to anyone with a Birmingham postcode, whilst maintaining high quality provision for the rest of country/world?

Makes sense I guess!

 

[Jono8]

It is still getting worse and worse. Honestly, every interaction i have now with the customer service of a large company is absolutely absurd.

 

[Deleted member 77746]

It is still getting worse and worse. Honestly, every interaction i have now with the customer service of a large company is absolutely absurd.

These big companies are the ones that should be trying to keep you by offering incentives IMO.

 

[Jono8]

These big companies are the ones that should be trying to keep you by offering incentives IMO.

What is even more absurd is they all ask you for a review of how they did!

It is the hilarious consequence of **** for brain marketing people telling every company they should have ratings and reviews, in direct conflict with the greedy ceos cutting every cost possible and outspurcing their customer service to the lowest bidder (or even worse, a "chat bot").