farmdoc's blog post number 590

I don’t read newspapers in hard copy. And I certainly don’t read any newspaper comic strip. But I’m aware that For Better or For Worse is a comic strip that ran from 1979 to 2008. And, for better or worse, I’m a customer of Engin telco. For better because for $14.95 a month I get unlimited local and STD calls. For worse because Engin’s customer service standard is meagre at best, and downright pathetic at worst. My latest example? Last Tuesday I realised that due to the lightning strike late the week before, my Engin Voice Box 3102 – a vital hardware item for my Engin VoIP service – wasn’t working. I reckon the lightning dealt it a mortal blow. So last Tuesday morning I phoned Engin and ordered a new Voice Box. I stressed my situation’s urgency. They said they’d despatch it by Australian Air Express [AAE] that night. By Friday it hadn’t arrived. So I phoned Engin who said they’d despatched it on Tuesday afternoon. Then I phoned AAE who said they’d only received it on Thursday afternoon. When I phoned Engin back, this time they said they’d passed it to AAE on Wednesday afternoon. As a consumer/customer, I ask but two things, i.e. good service, and the truth. Last week Engin failed on both counts. So I’m nominating them in the 2009 Worst Customer Service Awards. I predict Telstra will beat Engin for an award, though. What is it about the customer service of telco companies? Don’t answer that – it’s a rhetorical question.