Adventures in Customer Service

For the past month and a half (give or take a few days) I have been grappling with the Scene Points program.  Scene points is a program put on by Scotiabank that allows their customers, but the use of their Scene debit card or Scene VISA card combined with the Scene points card to build up points that will evenutally earn them free movie passes.  You don't even need to be a Scotiabank customer, you can simply use the Scene points card.

Sometime around mid to late April, I received an SMS message from the Scene short code offering me a chance to end a contest to either win tickets to the playoffs or free movie or something of that nature.  I replied, figuring it couldn't hurt.  April 26th I get a text saying that I won a free movie! That was pretty exciting, since I never win anything.  All I had to do was answer a skill testing question and then they'll credit my account 1000 points, within three business days, so that I can view a movie, free.  Seems simple enough, right?

Well, it's June 8th and I still haven't seen my points!  I called them early May (after the 3 business days had come and gone) just to see what was going on and when I can expect those points.  The Customer Service rep on the phone couldn't sound more disinterested and after repeating the complaint to me incorrectly and me correcting her a couple of times, she said she'd pass on the complaint and that I'll be contacted via email within a few days.

This is the email I received:

Good day,

Thank you for your recent contact with our Customer Care Centre.

Please be advised that they text you describe receiving was in order to enter for a chance to win 1000 SCENE points. This contest closed April 28th and the winner have been contacted. 

Should you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or call us at 1-866-586-2805. Our office hours are 8:00 am- 9:00 pm Monday - Friday, and 8:00 am - 5:00 pm on Saturday (Eastern Time).

Thanks for your loyalty to the Scene program,

Not being too pleased with the brush off, I replied:

Hello,

I was contacted by Scene to say that I won a free movie.  I was told the points would be credited to my account.  It wasn't.  I would just like to know when I can expect the points.

I have attached photos of the SMS messages that indicate that I have won a free movie (by way of 1000 points) and that I need to answer a skill testing question in order to qualify and that I have correctly answered the STQ and that my account would be credited in 5 business days.  The photo also includes my Scene card as way of proof that I actually was the one who had received the SMS messages.

The messages were sent to my phone on April 26, 2011 at 13:01 PST and 13:03 PST. 

Please respond.

The SMS that says I need to answer the STQ

The SMS that says I won the free movie and that my account would be credited in 3 business days

This was how Scene responded:

Good day,

Thank you for your recent contact with our Customer Care Centre.

An investigation has been initiated on your behalf into this issue. Please allow 10-15 business days for this investigation. You will be contacted at the e-mail address we have on file for you once we have any information on this matter.

Should you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or call us at 1-866-586-2805. Our office hours are 8:00 am- 9:00 pm Monday - Friday, and 8:00 am - 5:00 pm on Saturday (Eastern Time).

Thanks for your loyalty to the Scene program,

So, frustrated, I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  I complained a bit on Twitter, but the people managing the Scene Twitter account were as uninterested as the Service Rep I spoke with earlier.  I called the Call Centre once more and again I was told I will be emailed and I just need to sit tight and wait for a reply.

I got one:

Good day,

Thank you for your recent contact with our Customer Care Centre.

We have reviewed your account and we have found no record of this message being sent to the phone numbers on your SCENE account. If you could please provide the phone number where you received this text we will have this information forwarded for review. 

Should you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or call us at 1-866-586-2805. Our office hours are 8:00 am- 9:00 pm Monday - Friday, and 8:00 am - 5:00 pm on Saturday (Eastern Time).

Thanks for your loyalty to the Scene program,

Upset, I reply:

Helllo,

I SENT the photos that showed that I received a text from Scene (from short code 72363)!  I don't understand why Scene is so incredibly resistant to just giving me the points you said you would.  On a customer service level, this is an unbelievable disappointment.  My phone number is ***-***-****.  At the very least, even if you contend that you don't have a record of the message being sent on my account, I'm still owed the points.  It was sent from your short code; you need to honour that.  I think I've more than sufficiently proven that I was sent an SMS by Scene stating that I will be awarded the points within five business days.  It's been well over a month now.  What more must I prove to you that which you have already done?  Is this how you treat all your "winners"?  You end your correspondence with "Thank you for your loyalty...".  Where's your loyalty to the customers?  It's hard to remain loyal to a company who doesn't keep their word.

Regards,

I got a faster reply this time.  I only had to wait four days for them to get back to me.  Tell me if this looks at all familiar:

Good day,

Thank you for your recent contact with our Customer Care Centre.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience. Please allow 10-15 business days for this investigation.  You will be contacted at the e-mail address we have on file for you once we have any information on this matter.

Should you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or call us at 1-866-586-2805. Our office hours are 8:00 am- 9:00 pm Monday - Friday, and 8:00 am - 5:00 pm on Saturday (Eastern Time).

Thanks for your loyalty to the Scene program,

At this point I'm incredulous at the ridiculousness of the situation:

Hello,


So let me get this straight, I have to wait yet another 10 - 15 business days?  Do you realize that this has been an ongoing issue for 34 days now (23 business days, if you prefer)?  Do you realize that you sent me this exact email  16 business days ago?  What more must I do to prove that I received a SMS message from Scene's short code?  Is there a number I can forward the message to?  Is there an office in Vancouver I can physically bring my phone in to, to show that I am the owner of the phone that the SMS message was sent to.


I am blown away at the incredible resistance Scene is showing in issuing these points.  I would have to assume that it is costing your company much more to "resolve" this issue (which, there has been simply no headway in that regard) than it would to just issue the points.  Especially when you consider that I would more than likely spend at least the equivalent amount at your concession stores.  Are all the man hours wasted on denying me the points worth saving Scene/Scotiabank those measly 1000 points?


Thank you,

So that's where things are now.  Ordinarily, I would probably have dropped the issue by now, but this just pisses me off.  They're giving the Customer Service industry a bad name.  I work in the Customer Service industry, and I take me job seriously.  I really don't like it when companies like Scene perpetuate the stereotype that all Call Centres/Customer Service companies are bots or outsourced or that the reps just don't give a hoot about you or your situation.  It insults me, professionally as well as personally.

What do you do in these situations?  Do you dig your heels or do you just let things go?