Great Verizon customer service call
- Thread starter gibbons
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SkyHog
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Everything Offends Me
Re: Great Verison customer service call
Oh my. That's really sad.
I suspect the confusion comes from the marketing strategy, and not a correct application of the marketing strategy.
Oh my. That's really sad.
I suspect the confusion comes from the marketing strategy, and not a correct application of the marketing strategy.
Flyboy
Pre-takeoff checklist
Re: Great Verison customer service call
I use verizon....
Time to check the bill!
I use verizon....
Time to check the bill!
gkainz
Final Approach
cwyckham
Line Up and Wait
Re: Don't mess with an engineer
I think that's equal to $0.002. I take it the Verizon computer forgot to round his or her bill?
Chris
I think that's equal to $0.002. I take it the Verizon computer forgot to round his or her bill?
Chris
Re: Don't mess with an engineer
This is a response to Verizon saying that .002 cents is $0.002
Listen for a laugh.
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1061864
This is a response to Verizon saying that .002 cents is $0.002
Listen for a laugh.
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1061864
gkainz
Final Approach
Re: Don't mess with an engineer
funny ... I got involved in a similar matter when working on a database project for Japan telecom (what's funny now in retrospect is that the work was 'outsourced' to the states ... what a difference 10 years makes!) Anyway, the confusion kept coming up in a meeting that our bill rollup amount wasn't correct according to the testers in Japan. Through a language barrier we went back and forth on the rollup rules and especially the rounding rules. Took over a half hour of discussion before someone hit on "yen is pennies"?
Yes! Yes! Yes! YEN IS PENNIES!!! We assumed Yen is Dollars in our units.
But, not as bad as missing Mars because of a metric vs standard units of measure being missed!
funny ... I got involved in a similar matter when working on a database project for Japan telecom (what's funny now in retrospect is that the work was 'outsourced' to the states ... what a difference 10 years makes!) Anyway, the confusion kept coming up in a meeting that our bill rollup amount wasn't correct according to the testers in Japan. Through a language barrier we went back and forth on the rollup rules and especially the rounding rules. Took over a half hour of discussion before someone hit on "yen is pennies"?
Yes! Yes! Yes! YEN IS PENNIES!!! We assumed Yen is Dollars in our units.
But, not as bad as missing Mars because of a metric vs standard units of measure being missed!
AdamZ
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Adam Zucker
Re: Great Verison customer service call
chip that is absolutly priceless
chip that is absolutly priceless
K
KennyFlys
Guest
Re: Great Verison customer service call
The stupidty of people never ceases to amaze me!!! It's quite sad it's to the point of being entertaining.
The stupidty of people never ceases to amaze me!!! It's quite sad it's to the point of being entertaining.
cwyckham
Line Up and Wait
Re: Great Verison customer service call
That goes beyond sad. I can see one person getting a bit confused, but once the manager comes in, surely they can work it out. I was really impressed with the caller's attempts to teach the math. The problem seemed to be that the Verizon people didn't understand what a decimal is. "Yes, half a cent is different from half a dollar, but no 0.002 cents is not different from 0.002 dollars."
I don't see how a marketing strategy could cause this sort of confusion.
Another couple of good quotes: "Well, this is a difference of opinion." and "Well, I'm not a mathematician." The guy makes it sound like you need a PhD in math to figure out decimals!
Chris
That goes beyond sad. I can see one person getting a bit confused, but once the manager comes in, surely they can work it out. I was really impressed with the caller's attempts to teach the math. The problem seemed to be that the Verizon people didn't understand what a decimal is. "Yes, half a cent is different from half a dollar, but no 0.002 cents is not different from 0.002 dollars."
I don't see how a marketing strategy could cause this sort of confusion.
Another couple of good quotes: "Well, this is a difference of opinion." and "Well, I'm not a mathematician." The guy makes it sound like you need a PhD in math to figure out decimals!
Chris
silver-eagle
En-Route
Re: Great Verison customer service call
It's going to take a cold shower to wash the stupid off. OH my head hurts.
It's going to take a cold shower to wash the stupid off. OH my head hurts.
wbarnhill
Final Approach
Re: Great Verison customer service call
It's a matter of how our brains recognize things and the fact that the brochures (and all other marketing material) use the layout $0.002
If you see $0.05, you'd probably be inclined to say "5 cents". A lot of people when looking at $0.002 don't know how to read it properly, so they say "zero point zero zero two" and because of course their mind believes everything past the decimal point is cents, they tie it all together.
The reasonable solution would to say 0.2¢ in all the literature. Or better yet, move from the antiquated KB (especially since people are moving up to EVDO and other high speed technologies) and state something like $2/MB. Then feel free to say "You used 35.898 MB this term" multiply by 2, bam, there's your total.
It's a matter of how our brains recognize things and the fact that the brochures (and all other marketing material) use the layout $0.002
If you see $0.05, you'd probably be inclined to say "5 cents". A lot of people when looking at $0.002 don't know how to read it properly, so they say "zero point zero zero two" and because of course their mind believes everything past the decimal point is cents, they tie it all together.
The reasonable solution would to say 0.2¢ in all the literature. Or better yet, move from the antiquated KB (especially since people are moving up to EVDO and other high speed technologies) and state something like $2/MB. Then feel free to say "You used 35.898 MB this term" multiply by 2, bam, there's your total.
Areeda
Pattern Altitude
Re: Great Verison customer service call
So I wonder what is the right price $0.002 or 0.002¢?
Joe
So I wonder what is the right price $0.002 or 0.002¢?
Joe
Re: Great Verison customer service call
Can't you guess?
They charged the rate that's 100 times higher. When it comes to the BILL Verizon is not going to be confused.
Can't you guess?
They charged the rate that's 100 times higher. When it comes to the BILL Verizon is not going to be confused.
gkainz
Final Approach
Re: Great Verison customer service call
ironic twist ... Verizon uses my new employer's billing software ...
SkyHog
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Everything Offends Me
Re: Great Verison customer service call
I didn't see Verizon's response....did they ever give a decent response?
I didn't see Verizon's response....did they ever give a decent response?
wbarnhill
Final Approach
Re: Great Verison customer service call
http://verizonmath.blogspot.com/
They ended up refunding the guy, but others have seen the same errors since then. They really need to just update all of their marketing stuff and say 0.2 cents.
http://verizonmath.blogspot.com/
They ended up refunding the guy, but others have seen the same errors since then. They really need to just update all of their marketing stuff and say 0.2 cents.
ScottM
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iBazinga!
Was in a Wal-Mart very long ago that had feeder goldfish labeled as .99cents per fish. So I asked for 10 gave them a dime and said keep the change. They tried to argue that I owed them a dollar but I was successful in pointing out that they were not labeled as $.99. It did take two cashiers, a supervisor and the manager, but darn it I had a point to make and no where else to be.
Another one of the number things that bugs me. UAL awards there frequent flyers and award for flying 100,000 miles in a calendar year. They call it the 1K level. 1K is 1000 not 100,000 they should call it 100k. Bugs me every time I look at that card. I keep thinking that there is a reason they are financially messed up. they can't understand the difference between a thousand and one hundred thousand.
Another one of the number things that bugs me. UAL awards there frequent flyers and award for flying 100,000 miles in a calendar year. They call it the 1K level. 1K is 1000 not 100,000 they should call it 100k. Bugs me every time I look at that card. I keep thinking that there is a reason they are financially messed up. they can't understand the difference between a thousand and one hundred thousand.
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