Authorized Order Placers Unite!!!

If you are in charge of the cell phone account for your company, than you might possibly feel my pain. It is by far the worst job I have. At one point today I IM’d a coworker and said “shoot me NOW!” Here is today’s run down, but this is pretty common every time I have to call…even for the simplest thing:

Try to use company’s new “Premier” website because it’s supposed to be “so much easier”.

Can’t figure out how to order a phone and add it to a group, so call phone number given to me Friday when I first started this process.

Sit on hold for 45 minutes listening to “on hold” music. The only thing worse than on hold music, is on hold music that doesn’t change. Listening to the SAME tune over and over again for 45 minutes might just make a person go insane!

Finally speak to real person. Real person tells me I can’t add a new phone to a group on the “Premier” site. Will have to order phone, set up on individual plan, and then call (and sit on hold for 45 minutes) to have phone switched from individual plan to group plan. Also run risk that I will have to pay individual plan rate for 2 billing cycles because it takes them that long to correct their records. Everything is on computers these days. Shouldn’t it be instant?

Ask Real Person why then should I bother placing the order online if I’m going to have to call anyway…and risk paying too much for the service plan?

Real Person responds “because it’s easier.” Real person also tells me that if I want to order the phone over the phone, I’ll have to call another number.

Call other number. Sit on hold 20 minutes. In place of “on hold music”, I got “oh hold commercial” brought to you by annoying voice lady.

Real Person #2 comes on the line. Tell Real Person #2 I need to order a phone. Real Person #2 sounds confused and asks lots of questions not normally asked. I’m starting to wonder how long Real Person #2 has been on the job. Not in the mood to deal with a newbie by this point.

Real Person #2 proceeds to tell me step by step everything she’s typing/doing. When Real Person #2 isn’t talking, she’s breathing heavy. Fearing Real Person #2 might keel over before phone is ordered.

Real Person #2 tells me that price of the phone. Even though I’m ordering the phone from the same company, with the same Foundation Account Number, phone is $20 more expensive.

Ask Real Person #2 “Are you kidding me?”

Real Person #2 talks to manager and give me a “One Time Courtesy Price Change” as if all of this is my fault.

Real Person #2 proceeds to talk me through the rest of the ordering process…toss up to which is worse, her talking or her breathing.

Real Person #2 FINALLY gives me my order number.

Real Person #2 tells me the next time I need to place an order, I should go through their National Business Key Contact Center and gives me their phone number.

Phone number is the number I used to use until NBKCC tells me I should us their new Small Business Center number instead (which was who I had been calling the last 2 months).

Real Person #2 also tells me that any future “Premier” website issues should be directed to a particular phone number. I told Real Person #2 that I did call them first, but the number she just gave me was not the number I was given on Friday.

Two hours later, I finally get off phone with cell phone provider and HOPE I have managed to order a cell phone.