The PLDT Customer Service Swearing Incident
Thursday
Oct 12, 2006
It’s bad enough when your utility’s customer service desk lines are dead in the middle of a crisis. But what if your call actually comes through? And what if the customer service rep you’re talking to panics when you become assertive in making your complaint? What if he/she swears at you?
This was exactly what happened with PLDT‘s helpdesk in this incident as cited on Jepoy’s Captain’s Log. You can download the WAV file here. It’s either recorded by the caller or this could have been from the call center’s archived calls.
Here’s the skinny:
* The caller was complaining about his DSL service being down for a full day.
* The CSR says the tech department cites software updates for the downtime, and the client should expect the service to resume after a day.
* The client asks for a rebate for the two days downtime, but the CSR is reluctant.
* The client says he doesn’t want to pay for service not rendered, and utters a swear-word (not directed at the CSR).
* The CSR responds, swearing at the client.
* Client gets angry–while still calm–at the CSR for cussing.
* CSR pleads for the client not to get angry, *claiming she did not swear*.
* After the client reminds her that *she indeed cussed*, she responds she only said that because the client swore at her.
* Client says he just swore in general, but did not direct it at the CSR. Client asks for a supervisor.
* CSR panics and cries. She then disconnects the call.
Busted!
The client was able to get the CSR’s name, during that time she had not realized her mistake of cussing at the client. I’m not sure what happened to this call center employee, but I’m pretty sure either PLDT had this on record (call centers _do_ record calls) or the client sent in a copy along with a complaint.
Toxic
I don’t think the CSR intended to swear at the client, though. Maybe the cussing was an automatic reaction from hearing a swear word uttered–things like this could happen when one is under pressure, and when arguing. From stories I’ve been hearing, call center conditions are quite toxic, especially with the shifting (which changes every few weeks or so), six-day workweeks, and the generally poor labor conditions in the Philippines.
Now I understand things can get pretty stressful in call center situations, especially if the client the CSR is talking to is quite stupid and couldn’t tell a cupholder from a CD-ROM tray. But this is different. And a company’s helpdesk still does not have the right to swear at clients making legitimate complaints.
The helpdesk rep should have at least had the presence of mind to remember that she’s on the job and that she’s carrying the company’s reputation in her dealings with clients.
At the very least, the PLDT call center has probably been employing poorly-trained helpdesk personnel. Complacency? I guess so. Being the largest telecom network in the country, PLDT must have been sitting on its laurels and thinking customer service isn’t a priority.
Update
On afterthought, I don’t think anyone has bothered to verify this incident with PLDT. For one, I don’t think I heard the word PLDT anywhere–the CSR just said “welcome to DSL helpdesk.” And it’s even possible that this was not a call in the first place, and that the conversation was simply recorded for the purpose of discrediting a company.
Does anyone have direct contact to PLDT higher-ups or at least the company (or department) that manages its call center/s? Any information would surely be helpful.
J. Angelo Racoma is a technology journalist and blogger. See more of his blog posts here at racoma.com.ph, commentaries at racoma.net, and Twitter feed at @jangelo.
Comments
Kates
October 12th, 2006 at 1:30 pm
It’s good to be back working at home. I agree with you, office work areas tend to be toxic.
hoop
October 12th, 2006 at 4:50 pm
Lutong ng mura… hehehe
I don’t think the CSR was reluctant to give the rebate though , it’s just that the billing section has to be the one to facilitate that. Same experience with Smart Bro, whenever there is downtime I have to call to sections, tech support then billing to report my downtime… hassle really to have to call two sections
Greg Moreno
October 12th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
PLDT and Smart top the list of worst customer service. They’ve been critized for months yet there is no concrete steps to improve things. My DSL application took almost 2 months, I received overcharges in my bill, and my phone line is dead since Saturday. And every time you call customer service, all they can tell you is “we have forwarded your request”.
J. Angelo Racoma
October 12th, 2006 at 7:54 pm
@Kates, it’s _good_ to be home. If things get toxic, at least the problems are not with other people–that’s more difficult to control than stuff at the homefront.
@Hoop, yeah, _malutong nga_! My wife said the CSR sounded like a kid who didn’t have any training in taking helpdesk calls. It’s bad enough that we have a difficult time connecting to the helpdesk. But the red tape is even worse.
@Greg, it took you 2 months? My Bayantel line came after four days of my applying. The DSL modem came a day after that. And it was a Sunday!
jhay
October 13th, 2006 at 8:04 am
I wonder where the recording came from? I haven’t heard news reports about this yet. First it was the nursing exams, now our fabled call center/client support centers. Tsk tsk tsk.
Clarisse
October 13th, 2006 at 12:46 pm
561-0695 – if this is a pldt number, ergo its PLDT DSL.
Jasper
October 13th, 2006 at 3:33 pm
I know the customer personally, He was my classmate back in high school, He did swear in general and not towards the agent. funny thing though, the agent could have cussed all she want if only she muted the mic. the thing is that these agents are really getting cussed at most of the time so can’t blame her for acting that way even if she was not the target of the word. My friend said he was referring to the service in general.
J. Angelo Racoma
October 13th, 2006 at 6:55 pm
@Jhay, well, maybe it’s new. Another round of “citizen journalism?” That’s why I’m trying to get in touch with the people involved. I’m even trying to get the help of our friends from the traditional media.
@Clarisse, looks like it. I tried calling up the number this afternoon but no one was answering. Maybe they’re at work or something.
@Jasper, thanks for the info. I’d very much like to communicate with your friend. It would be good to get comments from both sides.
Andrew
October 13th, 2006 at 7:24 pm
Wow, I was surprised to hear it. well I’m one of the people who is really pissed off with smart/pldt and I can’t wait to change to either globe broadband or same with you j which is bayantel, since my first couple of months and still now really sucks. Can you imagine I was down for 2 weeks!
Well as subscriber IMHO, it’s just a waste of time arguing to the CSR since they just tell you what they have been told too. How we all wish it’s the higher technical support that we could talk to.
Let’s just get our rebates and learn from our experiences.
J. Angelo Racoma
October 13th, 2006 at 10:19 pm
@Andrew, I’m very satisfied with Bayantel. I know they have their quirks, but I think with my being just two blocks (one?) from the Bayantel datacenter, service here is pretty much A-okay.
What’s disturbing is that as a subscriber, one gets to be faced by red tape when lodging complaints. If it’s a billing problem, i goes to the billing department. If it’s a technical problem, you have to call the technical department. Aren’t their helpdesks that can handle all kinds of queries?
That’s why I usually check with the blogs and forums first–like “BNC,”:http://bncxe.org etc.–before I ask for help with my mobile phone settings or utilities.
Aja Lapus
October 14th, 2006 at 1:41 am
I think I remember hearing 171 or something from the conversation. Isn’t that a PLDT hotline number?
I thought at first that the call center agent was the one having a hard time since the customer kept on pestering her with complaints though she already told him the only advisory instructed to them. I was wrong.
J. Angelo Racoma
October 14th, 2006 at 1:56 am
@Aja, 171 is also used by other service providers, although “PLDT DSL’s contact page”:http://www.pldtdsl.com/contactus.asp specifically indicates that number for queries. With others, such as my Bayantel DSL and phone line, I can call 171 for the phone helpdesk, but would have to call 411-2000 for the DSL helpdesk.
So it’s likely PLDT. and the telephone number given by the caller was PLDT. Now the next step would be to get the sides of both the caller and PLDT helpdesk/management.
vonjobi
October 14th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
it sounds real enough. my guess is that the csr was, in fact, thinking that she used the “mute” button, that’s why she denied it at first. this is the reason some trainers discourage csrs from using the mute button to make side comments–you never know when you’ll forget that you did NOT press the mute button.
what happens next? the girl will very likely lose her job AND, because this will most likely be played by trainers as an example of what not to do, she will never get hired in a call center again.
the customer was very nice. he was well within his rights. i’ve pretty much done the same thing before =)
what i can’t understand is why there was no supervisor, and the csr did not sound like she was lying. maybe if a supervisor had been around, this wouldn’t be filling up the blogosphere right now.
sailormoonmeetsthevampire
October 16th, 2006 at 2:47 am
We do not know if this recording is true or not, but if this is a recording from a call center, there are still flaws to it like why did the rep did not state the company’s name or the service she is supporting which is required sa lahat ng CC. Though i worked as a tehcnical support specialist sa isang prominent call center dito sa pinas at dapat lam ko n kung anong takbo or sistema ng trabahong ganito, the gurl should have not swear since it is clear on the recording that the client did not direcly swear at her. Mas maraming ganyan sa pinapagtrabahuhan ko mga amerikanong pasaway na indi marunong mgbuklat ng manual at hindi marunong sumunod sa instructions. Pag minalas malas ka pa hahamakin nila buong pagkatao mo pati na kaluluwa mo. Newaiz, I did not post to state my grudges as well, but this recording whether true or not should serve as an eye opener sa lahat ng Customer service rep, since pinasok ntin tong work n to we should at least put our heart on it ndi k nmn ppgacceptin ng call ng hindi k nguundergo ng training and orientation eh. Kya the least you can do is emphatize with them. YUN LNG….
Bev
October 21st, 2006 at 1:25 am
The CSR shouldn’t have said anything like that in the first place. She’s stupid enough to have thought she pressed the mute button and swear at the customer. I have worked in a call centre before and NEVER have I even whispered any profanity towards a customer. Well, just after the call when I’m sure customer has hung up. It’s just a way to relieve stress.
She sounded so uneducated and the way she pretended not to have said anything?? It only showed how she was brought up.
rcv_pass
October 22nd, 2006 at 7:21 am
Hello…
Please give us a break guys…
No matter how poor the approach of the girl was people should know that in these kind of job this is only procedures they did…
Yeah, it was the agent who sweared first… That I agree.. and it was wrong..
But have you heard the second part of the story my friends…
Raul horridly sweared and attacked the girl numerous times…
I don’t know how you call “educated guys” but for me that is what I call disrespect to humanity. in otherwords, he crossed the line too…
For Facts my commentors…deductions…
1. The girl is studpid to give the first blow… The customer is right… and this was a sign of the disease of the Philippine society… you see almost everyone swearing
2. The multiple swears of that Raul, makes him unprofessional whatever he is right now. I dont know what degree he finished but for psychologist like me that is the worst sign of an uneducated person…
3. I believe late people call this behavior
a.) Customer is always right — yes, yes, but you must always understad the situation of the people who serve you. please note “the customer is the always the one in need”
b.) What is this new behavior coming out from this people who travels abroad… We have no right to step in people wherever they worked on and whatever they do…
4. Guys… don’t act like the girl nor Raul… this is not the way for the future of our country
5. Do you know the work of that guy? to which company is he working in? what title? what scope of work?
— because from the way he talks he looks big…
His details… please correct if mistaken…
Raul Bakalno
San Andres, Paco
561-0695
Andrew
October 22nd, 2006 at 2:46 pm
@rcv_pass, Now that makes some sense! made me think for a while.
Marg
October 22nd, 2006 at 8:22 pm
@rcv_pass (October 22, 2006 at 7:21 am)
Regarding what you said in your (#19) post (item no. 5), it is irrelevant what Raul’s company is or what his position is. What’s significant is that he was pissed at PLDT’s poor customer service.
Raul was wrong to swear no matter how awful PLDT’s customer service is. [Hmm.] @rcv_pass, swearing is not a sign of unprofessionalism. It only shows how tacky he is in intense emotions.
But we’re not to judge anyone here.
If only 172 could be overhauled. I’m also a PLDT DSL subscriber. I really hate the fact that my calls are ALWAYS mishandled. I can’t blame Raul for showing his anger like that.
rcv_pass
October 22nd, 2006 at 8:37 pm
@Marg
I understand the poor service of this kind of people/companies, i myself has been a victim to it.
but to the benefit of ignorance… the kind of attack of Raul is not professional… no matter if you are the customer nor the pldt girl that lousy swearing is a shear evidence of unprofessionalism… If it isn’t what is?
Marg, if you know the position nor the job and company the Raul guy works for then you would understand…
Look to be clear… if a person is talking with someone and say directl or indirectly “tang-ina”, that kind of words for me is not about to whom were you refering to, but to whom are you saying it to…just think about and fit into the girls shoes… then you would know what im talking about…
And what is this effect happening in our country… people travel abroad, setting foot on new lands… gets them saying that they are better people than others(im not talking about just Raul), believe me there is nothing special in other lands…
If you did try to go out, you will feel that in our country… only here we can be satisfied with our life…
I dont like the girl either but im more in discomfort about how the caller handled the situation…
If you want we can ave a game…
Find out the guys job/company then you would understand his behaviour…
also his neighbors, if are they poorer or richer than their neighbors…
( its easy you got guys knowing his number and there s the guy who knows him since highschool…
Anger just leads to anger then to another anger… it never stops… then after comess chaos…
J. Angelo Racoma
October 23rd, 2006 at 5:37 pm
Guys, I don’t think Raul’s profession has anything to do with the way he acted. His acts were not unprofessional (as it was not within his duty to be talking on the phone, and hence by definition this cannot be called unprofessionalism). He was discourteous, though, and a bit too pushy.
He, however, had the right to be displeased with PLDT DSL’s poor service. And asking for a rebate for a service not properly rendered is within his rights as a consumer.
As for the call center agent, now _that_’s unprofessionalism. I know CSRs would usually do all sorts of stuff to de-stress, but doing this during an actual client call is tantamount to someone in the service business (a waiter or a hotel manager, for instance) throwing a tantrum in front of the customer.
Both crossed the line at some point. But in this case, we have to look at the bottomline. The caller is probably now considered by Pinoy netizens as a big (insert invective here). But the CSR probably lost her job and has most likely been put on the watchlist at call center HR departments. Who had the bigger loss?
Angel Viloria
October 26th, 2006 at 4:58 pm
Chanced upon this article. How to deal with irate and swearing clients? Just remember, the customer is always right. Personally, have also been on the receiving end of bad customer service. No matter how the client behaves, a customer is a customer. The service provider must always be calm and must behave professionally. Their companies must teach them to be thermostats, rather than thermometers. Leave the “thermometer” act to the clients.
J. Angelo Racoma
October 29th, 2006 at 10:41 pm
@Angel, thanks for the input. I guess that’s really how you define customer service.
Mei
October 30th, 2006 at 2:30 pm
The customer had the right to be angry. When they swear, when they are upset, and frustrated, walang personal dun. CSRs should learn that they are not being attacked personally. Kaya nga may customers or subscribers because these people need their service and if it is not working and they are complaining, it only shows them how valuable the service is to their customers. Kaya dapat, pasensya.
Gin
November 10th, 2006 at 2:04 pm
My bf works for a callcenter and he has taught me how to make complaints through phone. Always ask for the CSR’s name and always ask if the call is recorded, all these for purpose of reference. If the CSR is tatanga-tanga, ask to speak with the shift supervisor. Usually they don’t like to forward calls to supervisors, and they would usually reason that the supervisor is handling another call. Be patient to wait! Before ending your complaint call, ask for a commitment of timeline. When the day promised comes that your complaint has not been acted on, call again and give privious compaint contact information.
christian austria
November 11th, 2006 at 4:21 pm
no matter how raul attacked the kid sounded csr, or how many times, customer had the ryt, because he was paying for nothing..well thats been established, same as the fact that the csr was wrong in evry angle,forgot or thought she pressed the mute butt,…i think she didnt just sound undertrained, but she really is..one is the mute button thing..and also anyone who starts out, goes through heavy training and even before they start taking live calls they are already know what their getting into,trainers will tell u that u will experience very hard customers, that u will be cursed most of the time,some are far worse than THIS agent ecountered,and to think that the customer wasnt even swearing at her, but was just a soft expression of his frustration..first time i heard about this i was really upset,cause im an agent to.. she should of put herself in the customers shoes, which is also trained to csr’s….just wanted to share some of my thots
Tim Te
November 17th, 2006 at 7:31 pm
ok ok, maybe the topic is old, but i just can’t resist…
on the debate on who recorded this conversation, well.. if anyone else notices, the guy, uhhh… raul… was still talking in the end when the csr supposedly hung up, the (“hello? hello? hello!” at the end) … A little logical thinking would come up to the conclusion that raul recorded the conversation, because there is no way that the csr could have if she did in fact hang-up…
but then again, maybe she just put it in mute…
Marcos
November 18th, 2006 at 8:04 pm
Actual PLDT DSL Issue:
Mid-Sept 2006: DSL Service Ordered for Manggahan, Pasig
October 2006: No DSL Service, yet
November 2006: No DSL Service!
Every call to PLDT Customer Service or the REP that is handling the account says either or all of the following:
1. We’ll install DSL within “10 Days.”
2. It has been assigned to a contractor. (Sept 22, 2006 & every call thereafter.)
3. Don’t call, we’ll call you.
I had to resort to paying a 6 month package for Airborne Access. That is Wi-Fi for my wireless devices. I needed high speed internet access since I arrived on Oct 4th. PLDT Vibe is a 20 year old product, so going Wi-Fi at the nearest Mocha Blend is the only alternative to PLDT.
Didi
November 24th, 2006 at 10:13 am
I think we’ve all had our share of this kind of customer service. This what begets the Philippines for taking customer service lightly. I value good customer service and there are some CSR who are really marunong on certain subject while there are those too who are utterly ‘bobo’ on the subject and just reply for the sake of replying. What I hate most is when they answer your question with a reply that is totally unrelated to what you asked! Arghh…..
NitroGlycerine
November 29th, 2006 at 1:33 pm
Good Customer Service? should start from the top down, but I wonder where in PLDT is the real ROT.
I share your pain – the way PLDT’s CS people work just ruins their image – “Accountability” emblazoned on their ads (BLAH!) – they’ve committed to me P1.4K to be rebated for 2.5 months of inoperative phone service (darn – that should be a refund) – then they just cut it today by two-thirds because of their “system error.” What system… Cerebral system??? Moral system??? No wonder this country is going to the dogs!!!
PeP
December 9th, 2006 at 11:34 pm
i think… that customer was insensitive and stupid!!!
why not put him in the seat then lets see how can he handle it?
CSR is not a easy job..
PoP
December 13th, 2006 at 2:21 pm
then why be a CSR if you can’t handle the job? the customer was well within his rights. bottomline… PLDT’s customer service SUCKSSSS!!!
Mae Esteva
February 7th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
what a lousy service. i registered with smart’s TALK20 gimmick and tried to call as instructed. i was shocked.
i was told by the machine that my registration had expired and the three calls i tried to make, i was informed, were already consumed. i lost some pesos and felt that smart fooled me by its service. please return me the money. smart is a crook! you smart people are rotten. imagine how you make millions by duping subscribers.
wake up from your foolishness
d
March 26th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
1. The call is from PLDT. One of their tech who recorded it uploaded it on the net.
2. The CSR agent thought that she pressed the mute button but unfortunately, the phone that she was using had a defective mute button.
3. Both the technician and the csr agent were dismissed.
4. The dsl technicians are CISCO trained. What the hell do they need CISCO training for? They are not networking, they’re repairing DSL. I’d like to divulge the vip who doesnt want to listen to people’s suggestions on how they can improve their PLDT services but … maybe next time. Bwahahahaha!!!!
Paulo
April 11th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Call Center Agents = Wrong Spelling; Wrong Grammar
Halata sa mga nagpopost dito sa Blog na ‘to…tsk tsk
Magtagalog nalang kasi kayo.
paulane
May 14th, 2007 at 2:06 am
ask me kit gnun ganyan ang pldt and dsl d malaman kng anong problem ng internet connecti0n namin kc 3 dayz wlang kita ang sh0p namin tpos ang laki pa ng billing ng dsl.. pwede bang i awas ang 3 dayz na bakante ng shop namin.. kc sarado nmn kc un shop at d magamit internet namin…
kaasar tlga sana lng mahabang ang mga technical support or group at mabigyang pansin ang problema namin at maserbisy0han kmi ng tama…and un free pc nmin bkit wla pa ganyan ba kabagal ang dsl ngaun?
Lana
May 16th, 2007 at 12:01 am
I am also a TSR, but for an international account, same…DSL din. the problem with most of the filipino agents is when their customers are getting irate, pati sila naa-irate, they’ll just press the mute button and say bad things about the customer. the agent thought the mute button was pressed or it could be defective nga mute button so nung minura niya ung customer, she was heard loud and clear. may co-agent akong ganyan, he sounded so nice but he’ll press the mute button and say, “idiot, stupid, asshole, bobo.” Outlet nga yan ng mga agent, pag pissed na sila, tired…but that’s not a good thing. a customer only gets irate when there’s a reason para magkaganun siya. maybe the service is really something so annoying. kaya wag tyo magalit sa knila. cge, baka matulad kau sa agent na to, baka mamaya kayo na ang pinaguusapan sa mga blogs at forums. learn from this humiliating experience…
Yeo
June 21st, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Dawg, about the thing watchamacallit “Can’t tell the CD-Rom from a Tea Holder” is either one of those urban legends like “Drying a Poodle in a Microwave Oven” thing. But, i could be a case of a moron who is just saying that co’z he just wanted his money back.
brainspills
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:18 pm
well… take a look at this perspective… remove the label of “csr”, remove the label of “client”… i mean, square one – human ethics! clients become irate because of crappy service… and there’s nothing wrong with it. but i think sometimes they tend to forget that at the other end of the line is also a human – not just a csr. the helpdesk is still a “corporate” zone so i don’t think that it’s even ethical to jolt out a cuss (either in general or directed) in this area. ACT CORPORATE IF YOU WANT PROPER CORPORATE SERVICE! eh kung ang expression mo ba naman eh “p*tangin*”, pano ka nila mairerespeto?! there are only two issues that the client is concerned with: (1) the prolonged downtime and (2) payment for the downtime. the csr addressed all of it. Tapos pinaikot ikot pa nung customer eh nakuha naman na niya yung sagot. Sorry to say but to cuss on line is not ethical. on the other hand, i think the csr also forgot a little of professional ethics. as she claimed, she’s jsut doing her job. well, part of her job is to have this strong gut against irate/unethical customers. nakaktuwa lang, sa sobrang nerbyos eh nasabi niya name niya… message for the csr: try to review your profession. message to the customer: di porket may pera ka eh pwede ka na magyabang against anybody… ETHICS GUYS!!!
brainspills
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:23 pm
quote ko lang:
“4. The dsl technicians are CISCO trained. What the hell do they need CISCO training for? They are not networking, they’re repairing DSL.”
uhmmm—> DSL is networking.. pakireview niyo lang ang CCNA before magpost ok?
Meg
June 22nd, 2007 at 12:53 pm
@Paulo (of #38 comment) Ano ba naman yan. Binasa mo na mabuti yung 1st paragraph?? C S R > Customer Service Representative ..
@brainspills
Paano mo naman nasabi na ‘may pera’ yung nagrereklamo na customer kaya parang mayabang umasta? Nanghuhusga ka na agad ng tao, at client pa. And besides, whatever his social status is, the issue is that he’s angry about his DSL service. Hindi mo masisisi ang tao para magalit sa pangit na serbisyo na nakukuha nya.
Regarding sa sinabi ni d (comment #37, item #4), DSL technicians po yung may CISCO training. Yung mga nagre-receive ng mga tawag ng mga PLDT DSL clients ay mga CSR (or whatever you label call center agents). Wala silang CISCO training.
Ayan na yung nakakaasar. Most CSRs would make your even more angry. Hindi mo malaman kung bakit parang walang training yung karamihan ng mga CSR ng PLDT.
BTW, minura ng customer yung bad service. Then, yung CSR minura na yung customer. We’re not talking about ethics here. The issue here is that the CSR was really unprofessional. AND why the hell PLDT hired such an unprofessional agent.
Kaya pina-disconnect ko na yung PLDT DSL ko, baka magkaroon pa ako ng heart ailment at an early age. Since March 2007, I’ve been happy with my new DSL service.
brainspills
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:13 pm
ooops! preno lang… this is supposed to be a healthy conversation… ang akin lang… professionalism is ethics itself… so with all due respect, we cannot separate ethics sa issue na ito. para sa akin, parehas lang yung client at yung csr ang unprofessional sa ginawa nila. diplomatic naman yung approach nung csr nung una eh.. talagang pigil na pigil… pero nag jolt out ng mura yung client. sabi ko nga it doesn’t matter kung general or directed. yung venue ng pinagmumurahan niya eh hindi tama.. hindi naman kalye ang customer support lines ah… wala namang mapapala yung pagmumura niya eh… lalo lang napagdiinan yung pagka unprofessional/unethical niya as a client. i’m not saying na tama yun csr. actually, mali din siya. kasi sa situation na yun, dapat hindi na siya nagmura pabalik… dahil nga csr “lang” siya… at yun na yung problema… karamihang tao kasi ang paniniwala eh… porket csr eh ok lang mura murahin (directed cuss) or parinigan ng mura (general cuss) dahil part ng trabaho nila yun… diba ang rude nun? i get crappy service a lot of times pero kung idadaan sa diplomasya at hindi sa init ng ulo, mas ok… hindi mo lang talaga kasi alam kung kelan ka din makakahanap ng katapat mo… btw, hindi ko hinuhusgaan kaagad yung client.. (“lalo’t client pa”… whatever should that imply)… dun sa call nung client.. sinabi nyang, “nagbabayad kami”… and that implies na may pera siya for that service… don’t get me wrong… i agree DSL providers should improve their service… PLDT in this case… pero siyempre… wag naman sana tayong mag ugaling palengke – KUNG PROFESSIONALISM NA RIN LANG ANG PAGUUSAPAN…
Meg
June 22nd, 2007 at 4:29 pm
@brainspills
I don’t know why you told me to hold my brakes, but I just gave my two cents regarding the unprofessional behavior of the CS Rep. I apologize if I came a bit too strong for you.
Regarding my comment (#44), I made a retort @Paulo because he mocked everyone that posted a comment in this article (his comment, #38). Although I don’t know if he’ll read on, but we kept calling the rep agent as ‘CSR’. The abbreviation was given as such because Mr J. Angelo Racoma identified the agent as a Customer Service Representative. Thus, CSR. If he had labeled them as Call Center Agents, then it’s abbreviated as CCA’s. Kaya lang hindi nga pwede dahil general label kasi ang ‘Call Center Agent’. Not all call center agents are CSR’s.
Please don’t get me wrong here. Ok, you’re right that the hot-headed client was a jerk. I just simply pointed out that you can’t blame the customer for being very upset with having very poor service.
Ang akin lang e hindi mo masisisi na galit sya. Minsan naman hindi mo na naiisip kung ethical ka pa o tama pa ang tono ng pananalita mo kung galit ka, di ba?
*Hehe..* I don’t know what you meant by typing in all caps when you said this: ‘KUNG PROFESSIONALISM NA RIN LANG ANG PAGUUSAPAN…’, but let me quote Mr. J. Angelo Racoma (his comment @ #23).
“Guys, I don’t think Raul’s profession has anything to do with the way he acted. His acts were not unprofessional (as it was not within his duty to be talking on the phone, and hence by definition this cannot be called unprofessionalism). He was discourteous, though, and a bit too pushy…
As for the call center agent, now that’s unprofessionalism. I know CSRs would usually do all sorts of stuff to de-stress, but doing this during an actual client call is tantamount to someone in the service business (a waiter or a hotel manager, for instance) throwing a tantrum in front of the customer.
Both crossed the line at some point. But in this case, we have to look at the bottomline. The caller is probably now considered by Pinoy netizens as a big (insert invective here). But the CSR probably lost her job and has most likely been put on the watchlist at call center HR departments. Who had the bigger loss?”
I think he explained it best thus far, don’t you think? =)
brainspills
June 22nd, 2007 at 5:21 pm
peace out!
we are actually agreeing on the same things naman… but let’s just put in a point of clarification for this term: “unprofessional”…
sorry if i have to deviate a little… =)
mr. racuma’s definition of unprofessional depended upon the “duty” of a person in a given sitation…
according to mr. racuma:
(as it was not within his duty to be talking on the phone, and hence by definition this cannot be called unprofessionalism)
… but take a look at this… at the time that the call was made, both sides (client and csr) were implicitly given a duty that at that time, their social role demanded… the transaction is supposed to be simple: client queries, csr replies… that’s professional business….
but both sides became unprofessional. unprofessionalism sprouts out when someone just burst out into madness without thinking of the proper and intended way of a transaction. and so… the supposed-to-be corporate scenario of a customer support line turned out to be a swearing place.
@meg
i had to type it in all caps since i really wanted to point it out.. simple as that! nothing really direct in particular… i apologize too if it had some other connotations…
brainspills
June 22nd, 2007 at 5:26 pm
please refer to rcv_pass’ comment (#19)
brainspills
June 22nd, 2007 at 5:56 pm
erratum: ….oops! sorry po sir!… mr. racoma pala… hindi mr. racuma… =) sometimes i just hate these fingers.. hehe.. =)
Meg
June 22nd, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Pasensya na po ha. Pero ganito kasi ‘yon. Mali po kasi na sabihin na ‘unprofessional’ yung nagrereklamo. Sinabi ni rcv_pass na unprofessional sila pareho (and now, ikaw naman). Kaya para matapos na yung misconception about sino yung unprofessional, itinuwid na ni Mr. Racoma sa comment n’ya (#23).
(Got this definition from dictionary.com) Being unprofessional means not conforming to the standards of a profession; characteristic of an amateur.
Kung tutuusin nga, galit nga si Raul pero sinisikap nyang hindi lubos na ilabas yung galit nya kasi pinipigilan nya pang sumigaw.
(medyo off-topic, sorry; intended for rcv_pass)
Cussing verbally is the price we pay for having free speech. Personally, we need more free speech, not less. And, in my opinion, there is no such thing as a ‘dirty’ word. Cussing in its typed/printed form is a different matter. Too shallow. In type/print saying like “.. smells f*ckin’ awful ..”, it’s better typing, “.. smells so ghastly you could faint ..”. Di ba the second phrase defines the situation better?
(on-topic ulit na, pwamis)
Kapag nadismaya ka sa isang pangyayari, di ba ang sasabihin mo, “.. Ano ba namang putanginang buhay ‘to?!” At kunwari may kausap sya, hindi nya minura ang kausap nya. Dismayado lang sya sa mga nangyayari. How can you possibly say it in any other way?
xwirex
July 3rd, 2007 at 4:27 pm
What argument do you guys need to justify the situation? Raul (the client) was clearly of no fault here. So what’s the problem with cussing as an expression? You find it unprofessional? C’mon, let’s not be hypocrites here. And what’s with this corporate scenario? Raul was calling as an individual and a customer not as an employee or part of the coporate that is PLDT.
The CSR was clearly out of line. That’s just that. She made a mistake and now she’s paying for it. Good for her.
Justifying that both were out of line is just plain BS.. as in corporate BS!
Let’s see how you handle yourself if you needed something so badly and couldn’t get it much more if you were paying for a service you can’t use.
onlooker
August 21st, 2007 at 7:46 pm
nice way to end this debate, eh xwirex?
just to let off some steam…
“What is this new behavior coming out from this people who travels abroad… We have no right to step in people wherever they worked on and whatever they do…”
“Do you know the work of that guy? to which company is he working in? what title? what scope of work?—- because from the way he talks he looks big…”
“If you did try to go out, you will feel that in our country… only here we can be satisfied with our life…”
“I dont know what degree he finished but for psychologist like me that is the worst sign of an uneducated person…”
to rcv_pass: i know this is almost a year too late, but hey, you really ticked me off.
are you sure you’re a psychologist? Or are our psychologists, just like most of our CSRs, on their field just for the heck of it?
alumni
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:53 am
the phone in the office had no line 3 weeks already….
the pldt customer sevice told me na papupuntahin nilaang tao nila… dumating c tao ng saturday, unfortunately wala kaming tao na magguide kaya sabi namin bumalik sila the following monday…. walang nagpunta ng monday… the following day nag inform ulit ako sa customer service i checheck daw ………… to make the story short, this is the 3rd weeks na walang linya ang phone and for your information… fax line po iyon…. imagine gaano klking perwisyo iyon…. just before i write this, i called the pldt and they inform that the technical team is working on it …. and they claim that within 24hours may progress na… what if walang progress? cno ang malilintikan? and besides you, pldt, should make a harmonious relation with your clients…. marami nang phone companies nowadays….. alagaan nyo ang customers.,…. inform nio kmi about the progress and every actions you should ask us kung may gumawa ba or whatever…..
one thing more….. darating na naman ang billinng,, eh pano yan di pa nman nmin nggmit ulit ng phone tapos ibi-bill nio kmi… unfair nman ata yon….dapat walang billing ung ilang weeks na wala kming linya…
dhiane
August 22nd, 2007 at 1:00 pm
hay naku pazaway tlaga PLDT kc palagi kami pinadadalhan ng notice of disconnection samantalang monlthy naman kami nagbabayad kung tutuusin sobra sobra pa binabayad namin dun ehhh!!!