My Version of Customer Service

This will NOT do... this will NOT DO AT ALL!

I attempted to pay my cell phone bill last week. BOTH the phone and internet systems for paying the bill were out of order.

Finally, after multiple attempts a day for 3 days I got logged into my web account for the cell company and got a payment made. On the actual due date of the bill, mind you, not late.

Imagine my surprise then when I woke 2 days later to find my service disconnected. I call customer service. The computer won't let me through to the customer service desk unless I pay the bill. I can't talk to someone to tell them I've already payed the bill until I pay the bill.

I am NOT happy. Finally I crack the secret code and get a live person at the billing center who refuses to help me at all. So does his supervisor. They say the payment is pending and I shall have service restored as soon as it comes through. Which, by the way may be up to 48 hours after I've made the payment.

So Monday afternoon the service is still not restored. I call again, I use my new secret trick. the payment is still "pending". They will not tell me how long processing may take. In the meantime I STILL don't have service.

I called the Better Business Bureau. They are investigating but I haven't heard back yet.

Yesterday when I came home I checked my phone again. Still no service.

I made another call to the cell phone company. I explained calmly and clearly that I made a good faith payment on the day the bill was due, that I had filed complaints with the BBB AND the Colorado Consumer Council and that by the way I'd spoken to my bank and they were happy to help me pursue fraud charges if the company did not want to provide the service I'd paid for.

I made the customer service representative cry.

I still didn't get my service back but that at least got me a refund.

So I attempt to pay the bill again today. And they have the nerve to try to charge me a "convenience fee" for paying the bill by phone.

Ah, No.

They waived the fee, but while we were disputing it their computers crashed AGAIN! They've now asked me to call back in 2 hours to try to make my payment... AGAIN

I think It's time for some remedial customer service training for the entire company... aided by my hairbrush.