Tiscali Customer Service Experience

I was happily living a normal life as a subscriber to the network called Homechoice. They were not cheep but not too expensive, fairly reliable providing broadband, television and phone all in one. Times were simple, times were good. Then, Homechoice was bought out by Tiscali. At first the changes were manageable, just a new set top box, glowing a color of green instead of blue.

Then suddenly, on a Sunday (during the European football Championships no less) our television and broadband service packed up. Completely stopped. So naturally we went thought the long winded process of re-starting the box, then the modem, and the router, and the computer etc. After 3 time consuming attempts at this, it was time to start the calls to Tiscali customer service. Then the real fun began. I called Tiscali, reluctantly, and waited on hold for about 50 minutes before getting through. My conversations with customer service went something like this:

Call 1:
Me: Hello, I am having trouble with my broadband and television service.

Tiscali Customer Service (In an extremely thick Irish accent that I can barely understand): Can I take your telephone number?

Me: (After giving number, postcode, name, birthday, urine sample etc) I am having trouble with my broadband and television service.

TCS: What is the problem?

Me: It doesn’t work.

TCS: Did you try re-starting it.

Me: Yes.

TCS: Is it plugged in?

Me: Yes

TCS: Ok let me check.
(10 more minutes of holding)
TCS: You are on the Depford exchange, which is down at the moment. You just have to wait.

Me: Do you know how long it might be down?

TCS: No. Thank you for calling Tiscali. Goodbye.

Call 2: (30 hours and about 20 minutes of hold time later)

Me: Hello, I am having trouble with my broadband and television service.

Tiscali Customer Service (In an extremely thick Irish accent that I can barely understand): Can I take your telephone number?

Me: (After giving number, postcode, name, birthday, urine sample etc) I am having trouble with my broadband and television service.

TCS: What is the problem?

Me: It doesn’t work.

TCS: Did you try re-starting it.

Me: Yes.

TCS: Is it plugged in?

Me: Yes

TCS: Ok let me check.
(10 more minutes of holding)
TCS: You are on the Depford exchange, which is down at the moment. You just have to wait.

Me: It has been down since yesterday, do you know how long it might be down?

TCS: No. Thank you for calling Tiscali. Goodbye.

Me: Wait, can I speak to your supervisor?

TCS: He would only say the exact same thing as I said.

Me: Still I would like to speak to him.

TCS: There’s no supervisor available.

Me: I’ll hold.

TCS: But they will only tell you the same thing. There is nothing we can do.

Me: I’ll hold for a supervisor please.

TCS: Fine.
(10 minutes of holding)
TCS: There is no supervisor available.

Me: So not only do you not know anything about how long this will take, but you will not let me speak to a supervisor?

TCS: No, we don’t have one available and he would only say the same thing.

Me: Ok goodbye.

Call 3 (24 more hours later):

Me: Hello, I am having trouble with my broadband and television service.

Tiscali Customer Service (In an extremely thick Irish accent that I can barely understand): Can I take your telephone number?

Me: (After giving number, postcode, name, birthday, urine sample etc) I am having trouble with my broadband and television service.

TCS: What is the problem?

Me: It doesn’t work.

TCS: Did you try re-starting it.

Me: Yes.

TCS: Is it plugged in?

Me: Yes

TCS: Ok let me check.
(10 more minutes of holding)
TCS: You are still technically on Homechoice service, and so you need to be moved over to Tiscali.

Me: But I already have a Tiscali Box…

TCS: But you have not been migrated.

Me: So migrate me.

TCS: You need to do it online. Go to www.xxxx .com

Me: Ok I have gone there, and it says that it is “Too busy to serve me, so come back in 10 days” 10 days?? Are you serious?

TCS: Ok, well I guess I’ll migrate you manually.

Me: gee thanks.

TCS: Please hold.
(10 minutes later)
TCS: OK I am almost finished the migration, but I need to know if you want to upgrade your service.

Me: Pay more? No thanks.

TCS: Ok well everything is taken care of here. Have a good evening, and your service will be back in 10-15 days.

Me: WHAT????

So after some further time with me questioning how this could be conceivable for them to do to me during the Euro 2008, and the French Grandprix, Wimbledon, etc etc etc… then I gave up realising that Tiscali Customer Service do not really care how the customer is serviced at all.

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