I recently decided to contact Time Warner Cable to inquire about starting service for a Dedicated IP Address. Since I was in a hurry, I decided to try out their "Chat with Representative" service. Let me be the first to recommend you NEVER attempt to get anything valuable from a Chat Session with Time Warner Cable. I was passed to one incompetent and inept representative after another after explaining my needs in a concise and direct manner. Once I reached the fifth bungling idiot who, once again wanted to transfer me to a different department, I finally decided that 30 minutes of wasted day was enough. I have enclosed the transcript of the conversation to illustrate exactly the depth of their ineptitude. It became quite clear to me that acquisition of new business is not important to Time Warner Cable Business Services.
User Customer_ has entered room
Analyst has entered room
Customer_> Hello, Im trying to get some general information regarding a dedicated ip address
Analyst Wendy has entered room
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Wendy> Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable. At the end of our chat you will be given the option of taking a brief survey. My name is Wendy.
Please give me a moment while I access your account.
Customer_> i need to know the monthly cost and bandwidth allotment
Customer_> i would also like to know the download and upload speeds
Wendy>May I know the 10-digit telephone number associated with the account?
Customer_>there is not yet an account
Customer_>im shopping for service
Wendy>Are you a new customer?
Customer_>potentially
Customer_>first i require information
Wendy>Okay.
Wendy>Thank you for your interest in becoming a Time Warner Cable Customer!
Wendy>I can connect you with one of our chat sales representatives who can explain products, pricing, and special offers in your area. One moment please, while I connect you to our chat sales team. Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable.
Wendy>Is that okay?
Customer_>whatever you need to do is fine
Customer_>but i would prefer to not have to repeat myself over and over
Customer_>thank you
Wendy>Again, my name is Wendy. Thank you for chatting with Time Warner Cable. We value you as a customer and are here to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Wendy>Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst
Analyst Wendy has left room
Analyst Sandro has entered room
Sandro>Thank you for contacting time warner cable, my name is Sandro. How may I assist you today?
Customer_>I am seeking information on a dedicated IP Address. I need bandwidth allotments, speeds and pricing information. Thank you.
[After a 1.5 minute delay]
Customer_>hello?
Sandro>Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst
Analyst Sandro has left room
Analyst Brady has entered room
Brady>Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable. At the end of our chat you will be given the option of taking a brief survey. My name is Brady. Please give me a moment while I access your account.
Customer_>I am seeking information on a dedicated IP Address. I need bandwidth allotments, speeds and pricing information. Thank you. If you are just going to send me to someone else... please make sure it is the last time Im transferred
Customer_>I dont have all day for this
[After being disconnected for another minute]
Customer_>hello?
Customer_>hello?
Customer_>please dont waste my time
Brady>I will be glad to guide you to the right support.
Customer_>****?
Customer_>get your crap together please
Customer_>this will be the fourth time Ive been transferred
Customer_>i have many other meetings today
Customer_>and if you arent interested in my business... kindly say so
Customer_>rather than continually transfer me over and over and waste my time
Brady>Please give a moment.
Customer_>who can I speak to that has the information?
Customer_>I am seeking information on a dedicated IP Address. I need bandwidth allotments, speeds and pricing information. Thank you.
[After 2 minutes of no response from Analyst]
Customer_>?
Customer_>?
Brady>Thank you for waiting. I appreciate your patience.
Customer_>are you on your lunch break?
[After another minute of no response]
Customer_>what am I waiting FOR?
Customer_>can you or can you not answer my question?
Brady>NO
Customer_>Im not asking for a treatise on universal law
Customer_>can you or can you not get me to someone that can answer my question?
Brady>It seems that this issue needs to be escalated to National Road Runner Chat support. We will
transfer you to that support group. Do you have any further questions before I transfer you?
Customer_>I dont need chat support
Customer_>I need business dedicated IP address information
Customer_>I thought I had been clear
Customer_>over and over
Customer_>waste of time
Customer_>worthless
Brady>I am transferring you to the right department.
Customer_>i sure hope you arent being paid for quality
Customer_>this is ridiculous
Customer_>is the idea to just keep transferring me and wasting my time all day?
Customer_>is that your idea of customer service?
Customer_>this will be the fourth transfer since I started this little chat session
Customer_>and it seems that NONE of you know what you are doing
Customer_>but only know how to transfer over and over rather than doing your jobs
Brady>Do you have any further questions before I transfer you?
Customer_>worthless
Brady>Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst
Analyst Brady has left room
Analyst has entered room
Analyst Brett D. has entered room
Analyst has left room
Customer_>I am seeking information on a dedicated IP Address. I need bandwidth allotments, speeds and pricing information. Thank you.
Customer_>I will be recording this conversation for quality assurance purposes
Analyst Brett D. has been temporarily disconnected. Please wait while the analyst attempts to
reconnect
Analyst Brett D. has entered room
Customer_>I am seeking information on a dedicated IP Address. I need bandwidth allotments, speeds and pricing information. Thank you.
I will be recording this conversation for quality assurance purposes
Brett D.>Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst
Analyst has entered room
Customer_>omfg
Analyst Damon has entered room
Analyst has left room
Customer_>are you serious?
Damon>Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable. At the end of our chat you will be given the option of taking a brief survey. My name is Damon. Please give me a moment while I access your account.
Analyst Brett D. has left room
Customer_>are you just gonna transfer me also?
Customer_>this is the fifth transfer
Customer_>and Im growing tired of having my time wasted
Customer_>I am seeking information on a dedicated IP Address. I need bandwidth allotments, speeds and pricing information. Thank you.
Customer_>I will be recording this conversation for quality assurance purposes
Damon>Thank you for waiting.
Damon>How may I assist you?
Customer_>I am seeking information on a dedicated IP Address. I need bandwidth allotments, speeds and pricing information. Thank you. I will be recording this conversation for quality assurance purposes. You are the fifth transferand Im getting rather tired of having you people waste my time
Customer_>if you cant answer my question, kindly say so and I will take the transcript of this session and
forward it to Time Warner Customer Support.
Customer_>To indicate exactly how "helpful" your representatives have been
[After no response for over a minute]
Customer_>hello?
Damon>Yes I am here with you online.
Customer_>are you going to answer my question or just stare at the screen?
Damon>I understand you want the information on dedicated IP Address, am I correct?
Customer_>i have other meetings today and cannot afford to waste any more time while you people lolly about
Customer_>YES
Damon>Alright.
Damon>Okay.
Customer_>do you have the information or not?
[After no response for over a minute]
Customer_>hello?
Customer_>DO YOU HAVE THE INFORMATION OR NOT?
Customer_>Am I speaking Chinese here?
Customer_>simple question.... DO YOU HAVE THE INFORMATION ON A DEDICATED IP ADDRESS OR NOT?
Damon>As we belong to billing department we do not have the information.
Customer_>then WHY THE **** DID THEY TRANSFER ME TO YOU!!!?!?!?!
Damon>But I will direct you to right department to get this done for you.
Customer_>YOU PEOPLE ARE A COMPLETE AND TOTAL WASTE OF TIME
Customer_>dont bother
Damon>No I will not transfer this chat.
Customer_>you are worthless
Damon>I understand your situation.
Damon>I apologize for all the inconvenience caused to you.
Customer_>dont worry... I will forward this entire fiasco to Time Warner Customer Support to see how worthless your "help" has been
Damon>I will suggest you to make one call to our local office.
Damon>I am providing you the contact details of our local office.
Customer_>i would suggest you and the rest of your service reps find new work
Damon>Please call on 1-877-566-4892. Customer support is available 24/7.
This is a true story. I wasted 30 minutes of my life that I will never get back being transferred, one after another, to one representative after another. NONE of the chat representatives were of ANY help. I cannot stress enough the lengths you should go to AVOID using Time Warner Chat Support. From this conversation, it is apparent that new business is obviously not of concern to Time Warner. I forwarded the above transcript to Time Warner Customer Support and received two emails back from Time Warner Customer Support. The first stated they were unable to pull up my account information which if they had actually READ the transcript, they would have seen why. That first email then stated they "hoped the above information was helpful in resolving my problem." The "above information" they were referring to was that they could not pull up the account information. I responded by stating that they needed to READ my email containing the transcript before contacting me again. The second email told me that I needed to just call the 1-800 number to receive information on the Dedicated IP Address.
Maybe it would be a good idea to fire ALL of the Chat Support Representatives and simply have a message display when the user requests chat stating they should call the 1-800 number. that would be leagues better than the experience you just read.