Yesterday evening I placed a call to DirecTV to activate my new HD DVR (the HR21). I wish I could remember the woman who I spoke to, but fortunately for her, I can’t.
For 38 minutes we were on the phone, and for about 30 of those minutes we trying to figure out why she wasn’t able to get programming to show up on my TV. The other 8 minutes were spent in silence, while I sat there waiting for her to tell me what to do. I think she was reading through help manuals. Perhaps she was eating pistachios. I can’t say for sure.
It became clear to me early on that she had no idea what she was doing, but that was okay…I was willing to work with her. But then, after 38 minutes of uselessness, she hung up on me. UN-BELIEVABLE.
After dinner I contemplated trying to troubleshoot the problem on my own, but in the end decided to call DirecTV back. When I did, I spoke to Chris, who quickly realized he couldn’t help me. He transferred me to the Technical Service Department where I spoke to Wade. About 5 minutes in to the call with Wade, we had this exchange:
Wade: Whoever tried to activate this receiver for you, I have no idea what they did. It is so messed up I can’t even begin to explain it to you.
Bryan: Between you and me, I don’t think she had any idea what she was doing. It seemed like it was her first time doing it. And she hung up on me.
Wade: Yeah, I’ve got to be honest. I’ve been doing this for 4.5 years and I’ve never seen anyone screw this up so badly. I WILL get it fixed, I just can’t believe what a mess she made of this.
5 minutes later, Wade had me good to go. Just in time for the fam to watch American Idol.
The moral of the story: Sometimes you find yourself in a mess through no fault of your own. And even though it’s not your fault, it’s still on you to fix it.
The other moral of the story: Some messes are so big, you can’t fix them on your own. Even if you’ve received bad help in the past, don’t be afraid to ask again. It might be the only way out of it.
Bonus moral: When frustrated by terrible customer service, it always helps to clear your mind with delicious homemade tacos and a sit-down dinner with your family. Afterward, you will be mentally prepared to conquer anything.