Auditel Consultant:
Chris Bourke

Don’t call centers drive you mad……

02 Mar 2009 | Filed under: Supplier Management

I was sorting out a gas contract for one of my clients last week and needed to confirm their current supplier got the termination notice as I’d found them a 35% saving elsewhere.

Without thinking I rang the number on the last bill and got through to (one of) the suppliers call centers.

No they said. You’ve given notice on the other gas supply to the premises, not this one, and its too late to move now.

For a brief moment I had palpatations. Am I going mad I thought? ’I'll call you back’ I said to the call center person.

Having checked my records I knew I was right so I picked up the phone again.

This time I called my contact at this company who I and my Auditel colleagues deal with regularly. This is a ‘real person’ with a name and their own phone number who answers the phone!

I tried again. ‘Have you got the termination notice for this account’ I asked. ‘No. You’ve given notice on the other supply’ came the reply. ‘Can you check your records again please and call me back as I’ve got proof of fax, a signature on a registered mail and my email to you which are all for the supply we do want to cancel’ I responded.

Five minutes later I got a call back.

‘You’re right Chris, we attached the termination notice to the wrong supply. I’ve amended the records. You’ll be wanting the renewal quote for the other supply now as well, so I’ll get that in the post today.’

The lesson is there are truly great savings to be had but unless you’ve got the time, specialist knowledge of the rules, and the contacts you will go mad getting them!