Rez Kiyn ... now with improved networking and social skills

Since 2 days, I'm the proud owner of ONE La Fonera social router, thus enabling all my neighbours (who accidently all seem to have their own Wifi installations) access to the magnificent world of Internet ....

Of course, I'm offering this unbelievable service FOR FREE. So, I hope to encounter you on my network one of these days.

Customer care ... the Telenet way

Like most of you already know (or just read in the previous post), 2 months ago I found a new job and I was asked to prove if I had a broadband connection at home (which I do), enabling me to work from home and thus receiving a working-from-home allowance.

So, I contacted the e-helpdesk of Telenet, explaining them my problem and asked them for a duplicate of my contract (since I have been a Telenet customer for over 6 years now and I don't bloody remember where I did leave the original contract). Those who are paying attention are possibly wondering why I didn't prove my broadband connection just be providing my future (and nowadays, current) employer with an invoice ? Well, I'm not going to elaborate on this one, just let's say it wasn't possible.

After a couple of days, I didn't receive a copy yet and I rang the helpdesk (contact 2), explaining them the same thing and they told me my former e-request was being handled and I should receive the contract in my mailbox (being the black metal thing on the front wall of my house) within the next days. So, I waited for another week and nothing arrived.

A couple of days later, I called the helpdesk (contact 3) again and they asked me to be patient, what I was for another 4 days and then I rang the helpdesk (contact 4) again, did again my entire story and they agreed with me it was quite curious I hadn't arrived yet (since they surely did sent it to me) and they promised me to send it again. Another week passed by and nothing arrived, so I called them (contact 5) again and the friendly lady said she double-checked everything and it was indeed sent to my home address and it would arrive any time now.

Not entirely trusting, I decided to give them another 3 weeks (the time I was abroad) and then would call again. Coming back home from holiday on Wednesday, there was no mail from Telenet, so I rang again (contact 6) to ask if they had sent it to the correct address, which was the case and I then proceeded with asking if they could sent it by e-mail, which they would do. On Monday, I rang again and now, the lady at the helpdesk told me that indeed something had gone wrong and she would create a special dossier to make sure the situation was solved and she would ring me back in the afternoon. (Number of conversations with the helpdesk at that time : 7).

No one rang me that day, so I rang the helpdesk again the next day (contact 8) and had to tell my story all over again and she would have a look at the dossier. While waiting for the lady to return to the phone, the connection was lost and I had to call again, reaching another lady having just to tell my story again (call number 9) and she said the dossier was indeed created and I asked her again to sent the contract by mail or fax it, because I was becoming quite urgent. So, she added a addendum stating the urgency of the problem and said I would receive an e-mail within the next 2 days. 3 days passed and I didn't receive anything, so I called (contact 10) again, told the entire story again (I'm a patient guy, the lady at the desk understood my problem, added another priority to the dossier and didn't dare to make any more promises about when I would receive the contract).

So, I waited for another 3 days and called again (call 11) and was connected to the most- couldn’t-care-less-helpdesk person in the world, so I explained everything and asked them if they could set the contract by fax, which was according to him, technologically not possible (Telenet being a telecommunications company and such) , so I asked him if he could have a look at the status of the dossier, which he didn’t even bother to do, so I told him I would be obliged to cancel the contract, just because I needed a proof of a broadband connection and clearly Telenet couldn’t help me on which he responded, if that was my feeling, I should do it. (Please do fire the guy or give him a course in customer relations). So I contacted all my connections and friends to receive a copy of the contract, since Telenet was clearly not able to help me.

The next Monday, after my first day at the new job, I typed a very friendly e-mail explaining my problem and my hassle with the helpdesk and explained how it was easier to keep a customer nowadays than to find a new one, and the inability of the helpdesk to grasp this concept. Then, I looked up the e-mail addresses of the entire board of directors of Telenet (I’m not going to disclose where I found these addresses) and sent them my very friendly mail.

The next day nothing happened. Until around 8pm I received a mail from the CTO, expressing his regrets and that he would handle the problem the next day. So, the next day, I receive a phone call from the customer care department, saying that the contract was sent to my home address and to my private e-mail account, which was indeed the case.

A first, I didn’t think one of the directors would even blink an eye to solve such a trivial problem. I just wanted to vent my anger about the total absence of customer care of the helpdesk, but now, I mighty impressed by the signal Telenet is sending towards his customers.
(I'm not going to disclose the mails to protect their privacy and mailbox)

MORALE : It’s good to know someone in high places or in my case, at least, have the means to get their attention.

A new life, a new career ... a whole new kind of stress

Monday was my first day at my new job : being a project manager at Getronics.

Honestly for the moment I don't have much too tell about it : I only have been there for 3 days, I ain't seen nothing yet. But I can you tell this : I like it there already ...