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Service Rep Won’t Give Woman What She Wants, She Outsmarts Them With Malicious Compliance
Dealing with customer service can be frustrating, even when you approach the situation politely and reasonably. That was certainly the case for this Redditor’s mother, who tried to cancel an appliance service plan after her home was destroyed in a fire.
Despite the devastating circumstances, the company refused to budge. So after some back-and-forth, the woman decided to comply with their policy. In a brilliantly malicious way, of course.
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The woman found herself dealing with a company that refused to cancel her service plan, no matter the circumstances
Image credits: Image by Freepik (not the actual photo)
So after some back-and-forth, she decided to comply with their policy—in a delightfully malicious way
Image credits: 3DdarkZone / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: WatchOut4possums
Some people would rather shave their heads than contact customer service
The woman’s persistence with the service rep can be considered somewhat of an achievement. Realistically, many would have likely given up, finding the experience far too exhausting.
In fact, a survey by OnePoll on behalf of Twilio Flex found that a quarter of 2,000 U.S. citizens would rather shave their heads than contact customer support. The numbers don’t stop there: 30% would rather tackle their taxes, 28% would prefer a trip to the dentist, and 25% would choose a visit to the DMV. Shockingly, 22% even said they’d spend a night in jail instead of dealing with customer support representatives.
“A major root cause of bad customer service is enabling technology that isn’t built to meet today’s customer expectations,” explained Simonetta Turek, General Manager of Customer Experience Products at Twilio. “Representatives aren’t equipped to deliver seamless and contextual experiences when they’re using outdated technology not designed foremost with the customer experience and customer journey in mind. This results in a poor experience for both the representatives and customers.”
Image credits: DC Studio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
However, there are ways to make interactions with customer support more manageable, according to the survey respondents. More than half said it would be helpful if representatives had access to relevant information, so they wouldn’t need to repeat themselves when transferred.
Additionally, 52% of people said they’d prefer to resolve their issues without speaking to a live person on the phone, and 51% want multiple contact options to make the process easier.
“Customers expect a different experience from businesses—one that is personalized from the very first interaction, from the point of sale all the way to when they reach out for assistance,” added Turek. “Businesses need to take advantage of the technology available to provide these end-to-end experiences. These include easy to implement omni-channel functionality, shared context across contact center representatives and other customer-facing personnel, such as retail floor associates, and providing personalized offers and relevant product or service information.”
“Those that don’t adopt new channels and make the most of the customer information they already have will miss out on loyalty and future opportunities,” she noted. On the other hand, companies that do will definitely see the rewards. After all, 80% of people are more likely to stick with a company if they’ve had a positive interaction with its support team.
It’s a simple truth: treating customers well isn’t just good manners—it’s good business.
In the replies, the author explained why canceling the service made more sense than following through with the claim
Readers were impressed with the woman’s wit
Some even shared similar stories of their own
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What do you think ?
Mike F 2 hours ago
Those appliance "insurance" plans are a farce any way you look at them. It looks great from the outside, but when the rubber meets the road they leave a lot to be desired. I still have an older furnace, the type with a pilot light. They are quite simple but, like anything else, one part goes bad and the whole thing goes down. I bought one of those plans when I moved in and paid for over a year. We had a wickedly cold snap (think -15° f) and of course the furnace went out, and it is a Sunday. I call the utility and asked for repair and was told 2 DAYS. I told them that was absolutely unacceptable, frozen pipes are expensive and so is a hotel room. It turned out to be the thermocouple (a simple fix) and I did it myself, but have sworn off those damned plans because I'm not paying good money and not get the service I PAID FOR when I need it. They're crooks, the whole lot of them.
Orange Panda 3 hours ago
Can someone explain why the walls still standing made a difference for the last comment?
TribbleThinking 2 hours ago
It's just a guess, but I read it as "we got the cash to build a whole new house, but didn't have to pay for new walls as the walls weren't destroyed."
Load More Replies... Mike F 2 hours ago
Those appliance "insurance" plans are a farce any way you look at them. It looks great from the outside, but when the rubber meets the road they leave a lot to be desired. I still have an older furnace, the type with a pilot light. They are quite simple but, like anything else, one part goes bad and the whole thing goes down. I bought one of those plans when I moved in and paid for over a year. We had a wickedly cold snap (think -15° f) and of course the furnace went out, and it is a Sunday. I call the utility and asked for repair and was told 2 DAYS. I told them that was absolutely unacceptable, frozen pipes are expensive and so is a hotel room. It turned out to be the thermocouple (a simple fix) and I did it myself, but have sworn off those damned plans because I'm not paying good money and not get the service I PAID FOR when I need it. They're crooks, the whole lot of them.
Orange Panda 3 hours ago
Can someone explain why the walls still standing made a difference for the last comment?
TribbleThinking 2 hours ago
It's just a guess, but I read it as "we got the cash to build a whole new house, but didn't have to pay for new walls as the walls weren't destroyed."
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