Family Shocked When Company Refuses Cancellation After Fire, Mom Finds A Clever Way Out

Dealing with customer service can be frustrating, even when you approach the situation politely and reasonably. That was certainly the case for this Redditor’s mother, who tried to cancel an appliance service plan after her home was destroyed in a fire.

Despite the devastating circumstances, the company refused to budge. So after some back-and-forth, the woman decided to comply with their policy. In a brilliantly malicious way, of course.

The woman’s persistence with the service rep can be considered somewhat of an achievement. Realistically, many would have likely given up, finding the experience far too exhausting.

In fact, a survey by OnePoll on behalf of Twilio Flex found that a quarter of 2,000 U.S. citizens would rather shave their heads than contact customer support. The numbers don’t stop there: 30% would rather tackle their taxes, 28% would prefer a trip to the dentist, and 25% would choose a visit to the DMV. Shockingly, 22% even said they’d spend a night in jail instead of dealing with customer support representatives.

“A major root cause of bad customer service is enabling technology that isn’t built to meet today’s customer expectations,” explained Simonetta Turek, General Manager of Customer Experience Products at Twilio. “Representatives aren’t equipped to deliver seamless and contextual experiences when they’re using outdated technology not designed foremost with the customer experience and customer journey in mind. This results in a poor experience for both the representatives and customers.”

However, there are ways to make interactions with customer support more manageable, according to the survey respondents. More than half said it would be helpful if representatives had access to relevant information, so they wouldn’t need to repeat themselves when transferred.

Additionally, 52% of people said they’d prefer to resolve their issues without speaking to a live person on the phone, and 51% want multiple contact options to make the process easier.

“Customers expect a different experience from businesses—one that is personalized from the very first interaction, from the point of sale all the way to when they reach out for assistance,” added Turek. “Businesses need to take advantage of the technology available to provide these end-to-end experiences. These include easy to implement omni-channel functionality, shared context across contact center representatives and other customer-facing personnel, such as retail floor associates, and providing personalized offers and relevant product or service information.”

“Those that don’t adopt new channels and make the most of the customer information they already have will miss out on loyalty and future opportunities,” she noted. On the other hand, companies that do will definitely see the rewards. After all, 80% of people are more likely to stick with a company if they’ve had a positive interaction with its support team.

It’s a simple truth: treating customers well isn’t just good manners—it’s good business.