For the last two years or so, I was a loyal customer to USHAC because it appeared that their technicians were competent and well trained. Although my opinion of their technical competency has not changed, I'm finally done with the sub-par customer service representatives they hire to handle customers on the phone when service is needed.
Overall, their customer service over the phone has always been sub-par. In the past, I managed a customer service call center so I'm very well informed about how to handle clients over the phone. I've always felt, with every phone encounter with USHAC, that I was basically an annoyance. The message: Hurry up and tell me what you need so I can get on to the next call.
As I go on, I must mention that I wrote down the name and quot;Ashleyand quot; in my notes. Although I'm very sure the person I encountered was in fact named Ashley, I could be mistaken since I spoke with two people at USHAC on August 23, 2013: one at approximately 10:00 am and the final call was made at approximately 11:15 am. USHAC should have records on file of all calls made and it is up to them to determine if Ashley is the correct CSR.
On August 22, I called USHAC (for the second time that day) and spoke to a CSR by the name of Ashley. She told me that she had checked with her manager and they never received the last two requests my warranty company made to them to service my AC units. I informed her that I had in fact received an email from the warranty company and that she might want to make sure that the link they use to receive these was functional since it would appear that everyone was receiving these notices but them. She told me that the communication problem they have with the warranty company is my issue. Bear in mind, USHAC has a contracted agreement with the warranty company. The only reason they had my business in the first place was because of their association with my warranty company. Then, she told me that it was not her problem and that I should call and yell at them.
I must interject here: I never raised my voice. I never used inappropriate language. In fact, I wasn't even really angry up until that point.
When I explained to her that I was not yelling at anyone, that I had already made two calls to them and to the warranty company, and was just trying to get service on my AC unit. In fairness, now I was angry. I suggested to her that as a customer I should not have to act as the go between since it's obvious to me that the communication problem between them and the warranty company is a USHAC problem as it is consistent and has happened several times before. She said to me again: and quot;Go call and yell at themand quot;. I'm assuming that her manager was nearby and within earshot because she immediately followed up by sarcastically telling me to have a nice day and then hung up on me! Again: I never once raised my voice or used inappropriate language. Although I was frustrated, I maintained a firm, yet professional tone the entire time.
I was flabbergasted.
If this were the first time I encountered curt customer service with USHAC, I probably would have just called back and spoken to a manager.
If this were the first time after several tries from my warranty company to forward service requests to them which USHAC claims to never receive, I would have blown it off as an isolated incident.
However, Ashley was my last straw. Although I've been happy with the service technicians that USHAC employs, I am no longer willing to tolerate the short, curt customer services representatives they employ who make it clear with sarcasm that USHAC is doing so well in this poor financial climate that they do not need to make the customer feel wanted or appreciated. Although I may not always have a warranty company, I will always have AC units that will need servicing. There are many talented HVAC guys out there struggling to get business who would love to have more paying customers. I hope that Ashley is worth losing my business over.
I reached out to my warranty company and asked them to find me someone else. Amazingly, within 24 hours, I had a new guy at my door. This confirms my original opinion that the communication problem with USHAC and the warranty company rested solely at the doorstep of USHAC. So, yes...it was--in fact--Ashley's (as a representative of USHAC) problem.
Perhaps this review will help USHAC and encourage them to take a hard look at their customer service staff to determine if they have the right people in the right positions. If Ashley had been reporting to me as her manager that day, she would have been written up. My experience as a business owner tells me this is a manager issue in that department. Customer service is the front line in business. They represent the attitude of the company as a whole. If I get the impression that the person on the other end of the phone is bothered that I'm even taking up their time, then I have to assume that this is the way USHAC feels this way about all their customers.
So, I get the message. I'll just go away and not bother them anymore.