Change of address request != give me a sales pitch

I will see if I can set a record for quickest blog entry about stupid customer service. This happened literally minutes ago.

I updated my credit card address with Chase, which apparently farms their call center activities out to a "Card Services" company, which farms the calls out to India.

The gentleman who took my call (did not understand his name, but at least he did not disguise its Indian-ness) had a thick but understandable accent. He took my address change, verified the info, and proceeded to pitch me on a "credit card protection service", where I pay no fees and make no payments during a "life change" (birth, death, adoption, layoff, extraterrestrial abduction, etc.). I politely listened to his pitch, partly to simply treat him nicely by saying "no thanks" and partly to see if his accent could put me back to sleep (I have a head cold and woke way too early this morning).

When he got ready to send out the enrollment kit for the "optional" program that I had 30 days to decline (his words), I politely told him no thanks. Note to call center employees everywhere: when I say "no thank you", that is your signal to end the call, not start grilling me about why I do not want the program, how much sense it makes for me, and prattle on about the fact that since I have no balance, I will not pay any fees, and only the low low amount of 80 cents per $100 of balance when I do carry a balance.

I told Mr. India that I declined the service, he began his prattle, I waited patiently again for a chance to politely end the call (remember, I just needed to change my address), and then hung up on him when he continued to try to please his employer instead of his employer's customer.

Chase, et al., there is a reason I carry a zero balance on your credit card. See if you can figure it out...


Written by Andrew Ittner in misc on Fri 31 March 2006. Tags: business