Travel News

The Travel Detective’s Latest Adventure in Customer Service

This past week, Long Island Power Authority was listed as number 1 in the 15 Most Disliked Companies in America. Then yesterday, Peter had a customer service adventure that seems to validate negative reports. Keep reading to see what happened. 

I  am no longer surprised by the absurdity of what masquerades as customer service, or unsolicited phone calls from merchants that still seem to get through the do not dial/contact net designed to stop them.

The most recent example:

My phone rang at 7:30 pm the night before July 4th at my house on Fire Island, New York. The woman on the other end identified herself as representing Long Island Power Authority, the electric company serving Fire Island and asked to speak to my mother.

I asked what the call was regarding.

“Can I speak to your mother?” she asked.

I told her she was not at home and that she would have to speak to me. I asked again what the call was regarding. She wouldn’t tell me and said she could only talk to my mother.

Why?

Because, she said, my mother’s name was on the billing.

Is this a solicitation call, I asked? She was not allowed to tell me.

Are you sure you’re not calling to sell me something? She was not allowed to tell me.

Is there a problem with the bill? She was not allowed to tell me.
Then why are we even speaking?

“Sir, I am required to tell you that the law says I can only talk to the person whose name is on the account. I can only talk to your mother.”

I told her that if she could talk to my mother, that would truly be amazing, and I would gladly cover that story as a journalist, since my mother has been dead for more than 9 years. You realize, I said to her, how absurd this is, and short of channeling and reincarnation, she’d have to talk with me. she refused. I wished her well in trying to reach my mother and the call ended.

Today–July 4th — is my mother’s birthday, and wherever she is, I know she’s laughing about that stupid call.