I know I’ve written previously about the pros and cons of technology, plus bemoaning the lack of human customer service. Let’s call this ‘Part Two’.
I was reading a story this week about a man’s ex-girlfriend who accidentally threw his hard drive out, which held the only key to a Bitcoin fortune of over US$700 million. EX-girlfriend? Gee, d’ya think? In her defence, she said he told her to throw out the garbage with the drive in it. Even though it was about 10 years ago, he’s now fighting the government for the right to search the landfill.
That seems like an almost insurmountable task … but I bet it would be easier than getting it out of Ticketmaster.
About two weeks ago, I wanted to transfer tickets I’d bought to my best friend Lynne’s niece, Sharon. I got her email address, plugged it into Ticketmaster, and it said it would send a verification code to my registered number.
I waited about a minute – no code. It then said it would resend, but again, no code.
I kept expecting an alternative authentication method to prove it was me – like sending the code to my email, or asking what colour dress I wore to the prom, but no. The phone number was it.
I thought about calling, but how long would that take? I figured I’d try online chat.
It started off with a chatbot. I had to be careful here, or it would be an hour of utterly unhelpful interrogations. Mercifully, the words ‘authentication code’ made it immediately aware it was out of its depth. It said it would need to get a representative. Music to my ears.
The minutes passed, as an animated ellipsis indicated it was still on the case.
Twenty minutes in, I wasn’t as confident. Why wasn’t the chatbot coming back to me with reassuring phrases like “won’t be much longer” or “we apologise for the delay; be with you soon”. I longed for hold music as proof of life.
Maybe I’d start another window just to cover my bases.
As soon as I went to another screen, the other one disappeared. Barnacles!!
I had to start again from scratch. This chatbot shared the other’s opinion that I needed a representative. Back to the ellipsis situation, with no sign of it ending. Maybe the bots were talking in the background. They realised I was playing the odds, so instead of getting the promised rep, they had set me on a slow boat to nowhere.
An hour later, I gave up and tried to enjoy the rest of my evening.
At some point around the middle of the night, two messages popped up to say representatives were waiting for me, but with no response, they had ended the chats.
Recognising the battle ahead, I gave Sharon my login details so she could attend the concert and I’d then have time to sort the code business.
The next day, refreshed and ready to do battle, I sent Ticketmaster an email. They had sent me one to say that if the chat – now closed – hasn’t resolved my issue, they could reopen it.
I had to send an order number to initiate things, so I sent the one for the recent concert. What followed was correspondence akin to playing chess with an opponent via snail mail. Firstly they told me that the concert was already done. I explained that it wasn’t about that specifically – it was about fixing the fact that I couldn’t get an authentication code by phone.
From there, about every two days, I’d get another email answering everything but my question.
Finally, I went the route of calling the toll-free number. Not free from Cayman, and inaccessible via Skype. About 25 minutes of waiting got me a representative. I answered more security questions than an FBI suspect. She could have created a fake passport under my name.
We changed my password, tried re-entering my phone number, and … yada, yada, yada … a friend with a US number now gets my authentication codes.
Around the same few days, I got an email about tickets I had booked for the Rockefeller Ice Skating Rink in New York. The rink would now not be available for my booked slot on 7 Dec. They apologised for the inconvenience, and said I could call and change the time or get a refund. I looked at the date online to see what alternatives there were, and there was only one other option available. The rest were sold out.
The phone number they sent me didn’t work. I know this to be true because I tried calling it from my phone, then through Skype, then got a friend to call it from the US. None of the attempts got through.
Unwilling to risk losing the now only time slot left for my date, I bought new tickets and responded to the email asking for a refund for the original ones.
Two days passed, and no acknowledgement. Maybe there was another number I could try to call. I got to the Rockefeller Center website, found a different number and dialled it. They were closed on Sunday.
On Monday, I called again. I got an automated message recorded by a lady who took pregnant pauses as she read out the history, dimensions and weight of the famous tree to be lit at Christmas, stating that the date of the ceremony would be 29 Nov. 2023.
So, not only was the information a year old, but at the end of learning more about that tree than I had ever cared to know, I was thanked for my interest in the Rockefeller Center and the call ended.
Deep breaths and further research later, I found another number for the rink itself, called it, and blatantly lied, pressing ‘3’ for ‘group sales’. Maybe if they thought there would be a big payday in it, they’d answer quickly.
Not so fast … literally. After 25 minutes I was still listening to jolly tunes, with no evidence of human beings in the near vicinity of the other end of the phone. I hung up, and sent a follow-up email.
It had been nearly a week when I decided to reach out to American Express to get my money back on my behalf. That was another 20 minutes of filing a dispute, answering automated questions, and uploading all documents proving I had contacted the vendor to no avail. About 24 hours later, I got an email from the rink to say they were refunding my money.
It had been a fun week, and it made me realise something – more companies, like Ticketmaster, have to put these authentication steps in place due to fraud and scams. That, coupled with long wait times for responses and chatbots that can’t answer a lot of specific questions, take so much of our time. If the rink had given me the correct phone number or responded quickly, I could have just changed my tickets, rather than bought new ones and followed up for days. The onus is being put more and more on customers to chase service, rather than it being provided to them.
On the plus side, if I’m ever on ‘Jeopardy!’ and a category about the 2023 Rockefeller Christmas Tree appears on the board, I’m making it a true Daily Double.
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