Monday, October 07, 2013

GUARDING CUSTOMER SERVICES AGAINST CUSTOMERS

Who would think that updating firmware on a camera would be such a performance. After two hours of attempting, unsuccessfully, to do it, the battery ran low. And guess what, nothing will load, or upload, if the battery is not a hundred percent alive. 

Nothing is straightforward; even calling customer services. Panasonic now guard themselves against customers with new products of theirs; customers who need help in unscrambling incomprehensible instructions, written by people in their company who know not what simplicity and step-by-step instruction should look like for the many  customers who are not electronic technicians. If they did simplify their instruction, there would be no need to protect their technical help staff with call centre staff scattered in so many places round the world. A lot more people would understand what to do and be able to help themselves…Yay! This is too much to hope for.

How about contact by Pigeon Post?

p1010755-pigeon-5-wb

The firmware problem did me a circuitous favour. The call centre worker in Eastern Europe had to call the technical desk in Bracknell, Berkshire, United Kingdom, (the same Kingdom I live in) as I was having so much bother getting the update on a piece of new equipment. 

P1000043_iMac1

After ten minutes of listening to some canned music, I found myself speaking to the technical man, himself. It was after all, sensible to deal with the issue first hand and step-by-step, it would have been impossible to manage it any other way. While I had him in my clutches, metaphorically speaking, I got Mr Technical Man to deal with two other outstanding technical questions, one outstanding for over a week, because, it had never been passed on from Romania to Bracknell in Berkshire, U.K.

12 comments:

zalandeau said...

It seems to me that you have so many problems with the post office, that you are traumatized. Aren't you ?

ZACL said...

Hello Zalandeau,

Cette problem il n y a pas avec la Bureau de Poste. Il est avec un compagnie en appelle Panasonic. Beaucoup des compagnies, emploient les services des centres d'anquettes avec gents qui n'a portes pas le connaisance technical pour tous les produits. Ils sont dans une autre pays, il faisent un filtre, ils faisent un triage, est pas de tout. La reste devenire dans une grande frustration.

Anonymous said...

I sympathise! Thankfully it's been a while since I've had to 'do battle' like that. It seems that plenty of people simply give up in despair. At least you finally got through to someone who could, and did, help. Flighty xx

Jennytc said...

The whole system just gets more and more ridiculous!

Snowbird said...

Everything is becoming endlessly complicated.....sighs...

What a lovely pigeon though.xxxx

ZACL said...

Jennyta,

At a simple level, you are absolutely right. Ridiculous it is!

ZACL said...

Hi Snowbird,

I sigh, sigh and sigh with you... at least we can do that. still.

keiko amano said...

ZACL,

I love this: "sigh, sigh and sigh with you... at least we can do that. still." Thank goodness!

keiko amano said...

So, grande frustration is French! I can use it next time I'm in France. Thank you.

ZACL said...

Hi Keiko,

You are most welcome to use any odd linguistics you find here, on my patch :) I shall take a wee bow.

Anonymous said...

It's not easy dealing with today's technology, and the emissaries thereof... I sympathize with you. I recently had a similar problem with a relatively new laptop... and for a number of days was convinced that I would have to send it back to have it fixed, even though there representative managed to get on my computer, and I watched him 'deal' with the problem. 20 minutes later the same problem reappeared. But some time afterwards I came across the solution by accident. My only advice is 'do not despair'.

ZACL said...

Thank You Shimon.

It is all too easy these days to use up valuable emotional health with frustration and despair, because of defensive administrative policies devised by corporations that befuddle and keep their customers at a distance. I think our generation is fast developing into one with lots of persistence, we are having to be.