(13 Nov 2014, 5:50 pm)aureolin wrote I'll not mention the name of an operator, but people can probably guess.

I received a phone call at about 11am today from a withheld number. Voicemail left, and it was the operator asking me to give them a call. Was quite busy, so didn't get a chance at the time. At about 2pm, I receive another call from a withheld number, and it was the operator again asking me to give them a call, albeit a different person. I still didn't get a chance, so I gave them a call about 5pm. I quote the reference number, and I'm told a response has been received from the depot. I was then told that the customer services rep can see that I requested a written response, so he'll get that sent out now...

I decided to question why it takes two missed calls with voicemails left, and me to call back, when I specifically requested a written response. I was told that it's "process" to give the customer a call. The CS rep was very polite to be honest, and we had a quick chat about it. I had said that calling a customer prior to sending something in writing isn't a bad thing, but it's a closed response, as they're referring exactly what the depot has said. If I challenged the response, the most that could be done was for it to be referred back to the depot for a further response. 

Very interesting, and it perhaps goes to show how rigid customer service processes do not work.

We've named the rest of the operators on the other occasions!
How long did it take for all of this to happen - from you writing the original e-mail?

My experience was very much the same when I complained regarding the X93. I was dissatisfied with the response, but thought it somewhat pointless attempting to make an argument with someone who had no local knowledge at all (and this was quite evident on the phone call) and someone who had no ability to provide reasoning on the spot.

Why do Arriva have all of their Customer Services reps in Luton? It's something I've never really understood, as local employees could potentially answer questions so much more easily...