Thursday, August 06, 2009

Fun with Customer Service

Here's another Customer Service mini-rant. The sensor on our dryer wasn't working, as I discovered about 10 days ago when I'd forgotten I'd put a load of sheets in until some time later, when I realized I hadn't heard the buzzer, and the dial was still exactly where I'd set it. I stopped the dryer and pulled out very hot, but not yet scorched, sheets. Hmm, I thought. Sensor must be broken.


Tested with a load of towels. Yep. Same thing. Checked the warranty. We have another year. Called the number, last Monday. explained the problem. They checked, and all was in order. "A service representative will call within 3-5 business days. No word, so on Friday, I called back. Warranty man said the claim was accepted by "Acme" appliance repair (names changed to protect everyone) on the 28th, so technically, they had another day. Told to call the company directly.

Do the laundry using the timed feature that weekend. Call "Acme" on Monday. No problem, they say. We have your claim, I remember seeing it. We've been backlogged, but someone should call today or tomorrow to schedule an appointment.

No call that day. I call yesterday afternoon. A lot of hemming and hawing, some mumbling about a fax, and then, "Let me call you back in five minutes."

Believe it or not, he did, with the following apology: We only have one guy who works on your brand of dryer, and he doesn't cover your area. The guy that covers your area doesn't work on that brand. But I've talked to the guy who does your brand, and he can be there tomorrow morning. Great!

Be aware, however, that he probably won't have parts, so if it really is the sensor, he'll have to order it.

Not a serious problem, because the dryer works. I just have to keep track of time.

Keep Reading...

So, all seems to be going reasonably well, even if it did take longer than expected. Yesterday, the dryer repair guy showed up at a reasonable time, and I explained the problem, the same one I'd told the extended warranty guy, and whoever I'd talked to at "Acme".

Me: The sensor doesn't work. If I set the dryer to an automatic setting, it keeps going and it will burn the clothes. The dial doesn't move.

Dryer Repair Guy: Does it work on timed dry?

Me: Yes, just fine.

DRG: Does it take longer than usual on timed dry?

Me: I can't really tell, since I hardly ever used the time setting, but they seem to dry in a normal amount of time, about 30-40 minutes.

DRG: Are they damp when you take them out? Do you have to set it for another 40 minutes.

Me: No, if the heavy socks are still damp, another 10-15 minutes does it.

DRG: OK, thanks.

DRG then proceeds to take apart dryer, and I get out of his way.

About 45 minutes later, the dryer is reassembled.

DRG: When's the last time you cleaned out the vent to the roof?

Me: That's a husband question. Husband, please talk to the DRG.

DRG. You need to clean out the mesh and check the flap.

H: I've done it, but not recently.

DRG: Well, clean it out. You're probably losing 20% of your heat. Things should dry faster once you've done that. You've got heat.

Me: I know we've got heat. I told you we had heat. Lots of heat. The sensor isn't working. I explained that to the person who made the appointment.

DRG: Oh, you mean it gets hot?

(Refer to what I told warranty guy, "Acme" phone guy, and DRG above.)

Me: Plenty hot. It just won't shut off.

DRG: You mean it keeps running?

Me: Yes. It'll burn the clothes if I let it.

DRG: The dial doesn't move?

Me: Nope. Stays right where I set it.

DRG. Oh. Let me let it run for a few minutes. It's supposed to sense when the moisture level gets below 5% so if it's empty, it should shut off soon.

Me: OK.

DRG disappears outside, makes a phone call, comes in. Dryer is still running. Makes another phone call. I keep my distance, but it's obvious he's having someone walk him through what he needs to check. (And this is the guy who KNOWS my brand?)

DRG: I'm going to have to order another sensor. It'll take up to 2 weeks, depending on where it has to come from, but I'll keep you posted.

Me: Thanks.

An hour-long 'repair' that could have taken 5 minutes. But, it's covered under our warranty, and it's his time. I was home anyway, and I even got some work done.

I'll leave you with a couple of tidbits.

Great tips on Lee Lofland's blog, The Graveyard Shift on Tuesday. A cop gives tips on what to do when you're attacked. Well worth a look.

And a quick question: What's wrong with this sentence?
That really peaked my curiosity.

For Tomorrow: Happy Anniversary to Daughter #1, whose husband was sent home early from Afghanistan, so they'll get to celebrate it together.

Son comes into town for the weekend for his high school reunion. I'm not telling which year, though.

And it's time for Homicide Hussey, who says, "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys." He's talking about the way things were, the way they are, and what the changing times have done to law enforcement. Don't miss it!

10 comments:

Unknown said...

thanks for the wishes. :) Say hi to my brother! And...isn't "peaked" the wrong homonym? Won't be spoiling it, tho.

Terry Odell said...

Consider it said. And yes, you get to stay in the will a little longer for recognizing the error in that sentence (one I see far too often, not only in casual blog-type writing, where it's easy to type faster than the brain processes, but also in supposedly edited published works.)

Elena said...

It's odd, but I'm not sure wrong. The use of peaked might not convey what the author intended. Peak as an intransitive verb means to reach the highest point. So a case could be made for the sentence meaning one's curiosity had reached it's pinnacle.

I once met your repairman's cousin. He worked for Maytag and destroyed what was left of my dishwasher.

Terry Odell said...

Elena, although the sentence might be 'technically' correct as far as word meaning (partially my bad because I didn't take much time finding the "perfect" wrong sentence in illustration, I would lay money that the times I've seen it used in print, it's, as Jess said, a homonym for the correct usage. And I'm not going to go look it up, but 'peak' isn't usually used as a verb, is it? And when it is, it's more like, "The artist's popularity peaked with his third album."

Not as bad as baited breath, though.

Unknown said...

ack. no, wrong word. it's a homophone, not homonym.

Terry Odell said...

Correction accepted, Jess.

Sheila Deeth said...

Aghghgh! I keep reading that sentence everywhere I go, and I'm longing to see it right sometime.

Terry Odell said...

I'm almost afraid that copy editors haven't heard of the right word these days. I can barely recall seeing the correct usage.

Jasmine said...

Here I am imagining fresh whipping cream or meringue peaks of curiosity! LOL!

Came over from SBTB.

Captcha is lesserre: if only there was an H in it I'd blame it on JR Ward.

Terry Odell said...

Jasmine, your interpretation is yummy! Glad you popped over. The discussion over at SBTB has kept me distracted. I should never have clicked the 'email me follow up' box!

Not motivated to read Ward, though. Doc Turtle's review is good enough for me!

Hope you'll come visit again.