It seems like I have been complaining quite a bit lately about poor customer service so I thought I would share a more positive story with you for a change.

Yesterday at dinner, Betsy reminded me about a letter I received over a month ago from the Weld county jury commissioner. I was selected for jury duty and had totally forgot about it until Betsy mentioned it. I went looking for the jury summons, but I couldn’t find it. I remembered that the date was some time at the end of August but I couldn’t remember the day. Since the court meets on Wednesday and today was the last Wednesday of the month, I decided to go to the courthouse this morning and hope I got the day right.

I arrived at the courthouse on what they told me was probably one of the busiest days of the year. There were probably over one hundred jurors. As I stood in line, I was prepared for the worst. I have had several bad experiences with government offices in Weld county (mainly at the DMV), so I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. Would I spend all day filling out paperwork? Would I get a ticket? Would I have to reschedule? They wouldn’t put me in jail, would they?

When I got to the front of the line, I was helped by Lanelle Coble-McEachron, the jury commissioner. I explained my situation and she said that since it was so hectic she didn’t have time to look up my name and number. She suggested that I serve my jury duty today, and I agreed. I filled out a form and before I knew it I was waiting in a room with the other jurors. Eventually we were ushered into the courtroom where we were interrogated by the attorneys. Eventually I was excused because apparently I didn’t fit the profile that the attorneys were looking for. I went looking for Lanelle and found her alone in her office. I reminded her of my situation and she looked me up in the computer. Sure enough my jury duty date was the 23rd. I had missed it. I was prepared to take whatever punishment she was going to hand out. What was going to be the penalty for my mistake? To my joy she removed the “failure to appear” flag from my name and told me my jury service was complete for the year.

I made an honest yet very stupid mistake and could have been punished. It was a pleasant surprise to be treated kindly in the face of my neglect. Lanelle was calm and friendly in the midst of a stressful situation. She was fair and kind in her response to my mistakes. She didn’t have to do that, and I thank her. I hope that some day she googles her name and finds this post!

I have had a few really bad customer service transactions lately. Buying a car was a nightmare. Next, despite a no soliciting sign on my front door, I was pressured by a home security salesman in my front yard for about a half hour until I walked away from him. Then I was being scammed by a company called Privacy Matters. Today, Aurora Loans, who services my home loan, was giving me problems. Perhaps someone can point me to an online resource where companies like these can be reported and exposed for their poor customer service skills. This should be public knowledge, and companies should fear the results from searches for terms like “Aurora Loan Services sucks” and the like. Here is the letter that I sent to Aurora Loans.

Dear Aurora Loan Services,

Thank you for calling me today to notify me that my July payment has not yet posted to my account. According to my records, I wrote and mailed check #2368 on June 25, 2006. I can only assume that you have made a clerical error and misplaced my payment. I understand that these mistakes happen, and as a courtesy to you, I made another payment online.

In talking to one of your customer service representatives today, I was troubled that he was unwilling to remove the late payment fee of $28.28 from my account. When I have been in similar situations with other companies, late fees have been quickly reversed as soon as the problem was corrected. In fact, I had a great experience with Wells Fargo who credited my account with $75 when they lost a check. I don’t expect to be reimbursed for this mistake, but I do expect you to reverse the late payment fee. I have done everything I can to correct the problem, so it appears to me that a refusal to remove the fee is a major customer service failure by your company.

I would also like to address the possibility that the Post Office may have lost the letter containing my payment. While this is a possibility, it seems much more likely that it is a clerical error on your part due to the exceptional reputation that the Post Office has for delivering the mail flawlessly. Therefore, I will not blame the post office and I will not accept that as your excuse for not processing my payment on time.

As you consider whether or not you will reverse the fee, please recognize my spotless record with your company as well as my prompt willingness to make a second payment immediately after learning of the situation.

I believe that customer service is a direct reflection of the integrity of a company. It is integrity (or lack there of) that I believe should be public knowledge. That is why I should alert you to the fact that this letter and your response will be posted online for public review. Please don’t feel threatened by this. By correcting this error, the online publicity has the potential to make you look very good. In the end, the $28.28 fee is not as important as the relationship I have with you and you have with your customers. Our reputations are formed one transaction at a time, and I am giving you the opportunity to correct the problem. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
Adrian Hanft

Update 1: August 1st (six days after I faxed my request to Aurora Loans, I received this response:

Dear Borrower(s):

Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding the outstanding fee(s) balance on the above referenced loan.

A review of Aurora Loan Services (“Aurora”) records indicates the fee(s) was assessed in keeping with our servicing requirements. Enclosed is a payment history to verify the date(s) payment(s) was received, and the date(s) the fee(s) was assessed.

If you feel the fee(s) assessed by Aurora is in error, please forward copies of supporting documentation (i.e. cancelled check(s), overnight receipt(s)) to substantiate your request.

If we may be of further assistance, feel free to contact one of our Customer Service Representatives at the address above or by calling 800-550-0508.

Sincerely,
Rosie M. Chavez
Customer Service

Update 2: Here is my response to Rosie M. Chavez, sent on August 10, 2006:

Dear Rosie M. Chavez,

Thanks for your prompt response regarding my request for you to reevaluate your fee. I have attached the carbon copy of the check I wrote on June 27 and my bank statement showing that this check was never cashed. If this is insufficient evidence for you that I made the appropriate effort to make a payment on time, please let me know what else I can do. I would again like to point to the fact that I made the payment online as soon as I learned that you failed to process my payment on time.

As a side note, I was a bit disturbed by the impersonal tone of your response. I assume that you, Rosie, are a person, and I can’t understand why you wouldn’t treat me as real person. Form letters that don’t respond to any of the points of my correspondence are a poor example of customer service. Up until your false accusation that I didn’t make a payment on time, I was one of your best customers with a spotless record. I feel I deserve a little more respect than the letter you sent me.

Sincerely
Adrian Hanft
Customer Expecting Service

Update 3: August 28th

Today I learned that my effort payed off. Aurora Loan Services agreed to waive the late charge. Thanks, Aurora Loans for doing the right thing. Here is their reponse:

Dear Borrower(s):

Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding the above referenced loan.

Aurora Loan Services has agreed to waive the late charge assessed on July 17, 2006 as a one time courtesy.

The amount of 28.28 will be applied as a principal payment.

If we may be of further assistence, feel free to contact our Customer Service Department at the address above or by calling 800-550-0508.

Sincerely,
Rosie M. Chavez
Customer Service

I promised to tell you about my encounter with Privacy Matters. While balancing my checkbook, I noticed two charges for $14.95 made on the 5th of two consecutive months. There was an 800 number listed on the statement so I called the number. The conversation went something like this. I wish I could have recorded it:

Me: Hi, I am calling about a couple charges made to my checking account by your company. I never signed up for anything with your company, and I think it may be identity theft or some sort of fraud.

Privacy Matters: Let me check my records… It shows that Elizabeth signed up for our service through Vista Print.

Me: Mister Int? What?

Privacy Matters: VIS TA PRINT

Me: I can’t understand you, is that a person’s name?

Privacy Matters: No, Vista Print is a company. V-I-S-T-A P-R-I-N-T.

Me: What do they do?

Privacy Matters: I don’t know, sir.

Me: Well, anyway, we never signed up for your services, so please cancel my account and reverse the charges.

Privacy Matters: I will be happy to cancel your membership, and refund the most recent charge. I can’t reverse the second charge because it was made too long ago.

Me: Well, I am telling you that I never signed up for an account, why can’t you refund the charge?

Privacy Matters: Whether you used our service or not, it was still available for you at that time, and you still have to pay for it?

Me: Even if I didn’t sign up for your service?

Privacy Matters: Yes, sir.

Me: What service have I been getting for the past two months? What exactly do you do?

Privacy Matters: We provide… [I can't remember everything he said] …and identity theft protection for $20,000.

Me: Identity theft? That is what I am telling you must have happened to me. Why would someone sign up for an account with you in my name?

Privacy Matters: They didn’t, it was signed up in your wife’s name.

Me: I told you, my wife didn’t sign up for this. That is what identity theft is, when someone uses your name. Your company offers identity theft protection, and you don’t even know what identity theft is? You don’t believe your customers when they tell you identity theft occurs?

Privacy Matters: It shows in our records that Elizabeth signed up through Bistec.

Me: I am telling you that if that is true, it was fraud. Does this happen often? Why would someone sign up with your company in my name? What would that person gain from doing that?

Privacy Matters: Nothing.

Me: So if I didn’t sign up for an account with you, and it is unlikely that someone would sign up under my name, the only person who is gaining anything out of this transaction is you because you won’t refund the charges you made to my account. I have never received a letter, or an email, or anything from your company. It seems like a scam.

Privacy Matters: It is not a scam sir.

Me: Then refund my money.

Privacy Matters: I can’t do that, sir.

Me: Let me talk to your manager.

Privacy Matters: He can’t help you, either.

Me: Either this was identity theft, or you are scamming me. Either way, I am going to report this to my bank, and they will investigate it. If I have to, I will file charges against you. Are you sure there is nothing you can do?

Privacy Matters: I will talk to my manager… [silence] …I explained the situation to my manager, and he authorized me to credit your account with the second charge. I have canceled your account. Is there anything else I can do for you?

Me: No. Thank you.

Privacy Matters did refund my money, but only after a great struggle. Later, I found out that Betsy made a purchase from vistaprint.com, but she never signed up for anything with Privacy Matters. I would suggest that you avoid both of these companies, just to be safe. If something like this happens to you, report it to your bank.