Remember that time I told you that my credit card debt was paid off? Well, I just got my latest statement from said credit card company, only to find that they are charging me a fee of $1.50.
Really? $1.50. Is that even worth the paper, data processing and stamp? $1.50?!
Of course, being the child of two business people who taught me to read the fine print, I called to dispute it.
This is not the first billing charge I've ever disputed. I do it whenever called for, it's my money after all.
I try to remember to be nice. The person on the other end of the line did not make up whatever rule the company has used to charge me extra money. They're just doing their job. As someone who also works in customer service, I wouldn't want to get nasty and risk the bad karma sure to come my way if I pull out all the stops.
In the moment, however, all bets are off, and I occasionally pull out my Boston unintentionally. Yup, I call my most aggressive, forthright, hard-ass tone and attitude my Boston.Obviously, that's where I honed it.
John, the operator who answered my call about the $1.50 charge I received after fully paying off my credit card balance was kind, patient, and answered all my questions in a calm manner, despite my debating the ridiculousness of the new bill. He also, incidentally, wiped the charge from my files.
This was a good interaction. The ones I've had with my cable provider, on the other hand, have resulted in my standing in line at their branch office for over an hour only to have the person at the counter tell me that the people on the phone when I call customer service have no recourse for anything they may promise and to never trust them. G-R-E-A-T. Not sure that qualifies as customer service, maybe something closer to improv.
The moral of this story is: read your bills and pull out your Boston if you have to, it will keep your credit score high and your bank account in the black.
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