Customer Satisfaction Surveys !!! Manipulated.

[MRU]

So many of you will be well aware of the horrific nightmare my S6 Edge and I went through in order to get a working device from Samsung & the dreadful customer service I endured in the process.

To recap, I had to send my phone back 4 times consecutivly to be repaired because it was 'repaired' three times in a row and was still faulty. Finally repaired after the forth repair and after I had publicly shamed Samsung on Facebook.

Many will also recall how during the repair I got a phone call from Samsung Customer Service to ask my feedback on my repair.

I was all ready to tell them exactly how awful I thought it was and how it still was'nt fixed. However as soon as I mentioned it came back faulty they said they could not record my answer or feedback and cut me off.


Today after 4.5 weeks of constant repairs and only a couple days after getting back my S6 Edge which is now finally fixed after its entire mainboard was replaced, they ring me again.


_________________

Samsung - How would I rate the repair service 1 - poor 7 - excellent ? Based solely on your last repair.

A - I find that hard to answer as I had three previous failed repairs and I've been without my phone for a month and made countless amounts of phone calls to rectify this.

Samsung - Yes but this survey is about your last repair. How would you rate it ?

A - Well I'm happy with the last service as they fixed it finally, however it's unfair to take this on its own as it doesn't negate the horrific repair service previously.

Samsung - Were not interested in your previous repairs for this survey only your last one

A - That is ridiculous. That's like saying ignoring the previous two leg amputations, how do you feel about your new wheelchair !!!

Samsung - So are you saying you decline to answer ?

A - No I am willing to answer, unfortunately you are trying to corner me into giving you a false positive answer by ignoring all the factors leading up-to this last repair. Are you willing to accept that when a device has been out of the customers possession for over a month and has made 4 journeys to and from the repair centre, countless hours spent on telephones - that this should impact the answer I give ?

Samsung - I understand what you are saying, but our survey is strictly about your last repair when it was fixed ?

A - So i'm to ignore the 3 previous times when it was returned faulty

Samsung - Yes, this survey is about your last repair only.

A - What is this survey for ?

Samsung - It's to assess our customers satisfaction with our repair service ?

A - and yet you are trying to force me into a corner and give you an answer that is positive based solely on the fact that they at least repaired it on the last occasion

Samsung - I'll just mark you as 'declined to answer'. Finally how likely are you to recommend Samsung repair service to your friends and family based on your last repair ?

A - Are you joking me ? Based on my last repair or this highly frustrating customer satisfaction survey ?


I ended the call highly frustrated and more dissatisfied with Samsung than ever before .......................



___________

So just to recap. They would not take my answers when ringing previously and my phone had been returned faulty. They now refuse to take my answer based on my entire repair service ordeal and tried to get me to say they were good by ignoring all bad prior experience.

So when you hear of any company winning 'customer satisfaction' awards or coming out better - remain skeptical. The results as in my experience here show can be highly manipulated and entirely not representative of the customers experience.

 

[ChazUK]

I'd hope that the awarded ones are done independently not to fudge the statistics.
Samsung did appallingly bad here and deserved some heat though. What a cockup!

 

[lugworm]

Does anyone genuinely think that these surveys are an accurate reflection of actual customer satisfaction ?
Figures and opinions can be manipulated to give the result that the manufacturer wants.

This includes Apple.

 

[MasterRyu2011]

yeah, we all know it's manipulated. All industries, all companies.

 

[apolloa]

Words to the wise here, if you REALLY want to put a corporation into a corner, take to there official Facebook and Twitter accounts, it gives maximum exposure to their wrong doings and they hate it, it usually leads to you getting a much swifter response.
You should post that script of the conversation on Samsung UK's accounts.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I'm surprised they don't use machine recordings like damn near every other company.

 

[MRU]

yeah, we all know it's manipulated. All industries, all companies.

I know and agree. It just amazes how clearly manipulated they are. I never did hold any weight on consumer survey reports and this experience has only clarified my justifiable skeptism.

 

[MRU]

Words to the wise here, if you REALLY want to put a corporation into a corner, take to there official Facebook and Twitter accounts, it gives maximum exposure to their wrong doings and they hate it, it usually leads to you getting a much swifter response.
You should post that script of the conversation on Samsung UK's accounts.

Yep. It does work. The only way I actually got a resolution was by doing that which is rather sad.

 

[Andres Cantu]

That certainly speaks volumes of Samsung's values and the industry as a whole (which I'm sure does similar things). We're at the point where OEMs think "all is fair."

Thanks for sharing your experience. I feel bad about how many times you had to return the phone!

 

[MRU]

Does anyone genuinely think that these surveys are an accurate reflection of actual customer satisfaction ?
Figures and opinions can be manipulated to give the result that the manufacturer wants.

This includes Apple.

And yet I've seen countless threads over the years with ' Company A or B, tops customer satisfaction survey ' on the forum. So clearly some people do think they are real.

 

[Lloydbm41]

And yet I've seen countless threads over the years with ' Company A or B, tops customer satisfaction survey ' on the forum. So clearly some people do think they are real.

This has been going on since surveys were created. You can manipulate the outcome by polling certain number of people, certain demographics, certain cities/locations, double negative questions (meant to confuse), asking questions designed to create positive overall outcomes, and so on.

But put all that aside. You were asked questions by the manufacturer for internal satisfaction surveys. This has nothing to do with getting awarded overall satisfaction ratings by industry surveyors. I think certain people on here believe that the survey you got somehow effects industry customer satisfaction ratings, when in fact it does not.

 

[apolloa]

Yep. It does work. The only way I actually got a resolution was by doing that which is rather sad.

Funny that isn't it? The only thing companies care about is their image, they don't want it tarnished in anyway as that means lower sales and share price, which is all they care about hence why they will manipulate anything they can to hide that fact.
Sorry I accept the corporate world we live in but I also hate it, because money is all they care about, period. Don't trust a thing they say.

 

[MRU]

This has been going on since surveys were created. You can manipulate the outcome by polling certain number of people, certain demographics, certain cities/locations, double negative questions (meant to confuse), asking questions designed to create positive overall outcomes, and so on.

But put all that aside. You were asked questions by the manufacturer for internal satisfaction surveys. This has nothing to do with getting awarded overall satisfaction ratings by industry surveyors. I think certain people on here believe that the survey you got somehow effects industry customer satisfaction ratings, when in fact it does not.

To be honest i do not understand what purpose the survey serves. If it was internal results only you would think they wouldnt want to manipulate the results if no-one on the outside was going to see them.

 

[nviz22]

Samsung in a nutshell:

Nice start when you open the box, hardware and software issues galore, then new device.

My friends are hit or miss on Samsung. I used the S6 I got for a few days before I noticed some issues. The home button is looser than my original S6 Edges I had and my mom's Edge. So I am returning it. I think I had it with them too. Even for a cheaper device on eBay, I have had bad luck outside of my 6S+ with performance. I got a Moto G 3rd gen 16gb/2gb combo. I just said keep it simple and go with the best bang for my buck.

It has all the Moto features w/o the bad battery life of the Moto X. If there is a Nexus 6 on sale for $250 I might decide to return my Moto G, but so far it's nice outside of slower wifi.

 

[Lloydbm41]

To be honest i do not understand what purpose the survey serves. If it was internal results only you would think they wouldnt want to manipulate the results if no-one on the outside was going to see them.

They are used by management in various departments. Many corporations do this. Not unusual at all.

 

[lowendlinux]

While I'm not a fan of the Apple Store this is the place where Apple shines they will fix your issues without a great deal of drama. Our Dell and HP corporate support is also outstanding but that's corporate and one of the reason I tell people to just get a Mac when they're looking for new computers.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Sounds like you were dealt with appallingly. You would think an internal survey would want to assess the service with the aim to make it better in future. I had poor service with HTC a few years ago where I was left without a phone for weeks while it went off for repair. I had to do a lot of chasing to get a progress report. They really couldn't care less and it was apparent. It ended my 3 year love affair with HTC after owning several of their devices.

The best electronics company I have dealt with for customer service is Apple I must admit.

 

[Fernandez21]

Sounds like you were dealt with appallingly. You would think an internal survey would want to assess the service with the aim to make it better in future. I had poor service with HTC a few years ago where I was left without a phone for weeks while it went off for repair. I had to do a lot of chasing to get a progress report. They really couldn't care less and it was apparent. It ended my 3 year love affair with HTC after owning several of their devices.

The best electronics company I have dealt with for customer service is Apple I must admit.

I think what might have happened is that he was dealing with a 3rd party. Lots of companies outsource their customer support to a 3rd party, rather than dealing with a customer direct. So this customer service company probably set it up this way so they look good when reporting to samsung.

 

[MRU]

I think what might have happened is that he was dealing with a 3rd party. Lots of companies outsource their customer support to a 3rd party, rather than dealing with a customer direct. So this customer service company probably set it up this way so they look good when reporting to samsung.

The repair centre is run by a third party company for Samsung.

Not sure who ran the telephone surveyors other than fact they declared they were indeed from Samsung customer satisfaction team.

 

[Fernandez21]

The repair centre is run by a third party company for Samsung.

Not sure who ran the telephone surveyors other than fact they declared they were indeed from Samsung customer satisfaction team.

What I mean is a lot of time big corporations outsource their customer service to another company. So what happened is a 3rd party company actually handles customer service calls for several different companies, and depending which number you call a different set of options appears to the phone rep on their computer. So even though your calling the Samsung customer number, your being directed to this other company which represents it's self as Samsung. This 3rd party company all they do is customer service, but because they do it for so many companies, the reps only go by what options show up on their screens and may not be versed on every company they represent. The same rep who handled your call as "Samsung", their next call might be as "Dell" for example.

My guess is they set up the survey questions like that because they probably have to show a report to Samsung about how satisfied customers are, and they probably also use those statistics when selling their services to other companies.

I'm not excusing Samsung, it's their job to give great customer support. I'm not sure if what I laid out is the case, but it's what makes sense to me as to why you got treated the way you did.

 

[MRU]

What I mean is a lot of time big corporations outsource their customer service to another company. So what happened is a 3rd party company actually handles customer service calls for several different companies, and depending which number you call a different set of options appears to the phone rep on their computer. So even though your calling the Samsung customer number, your being directed to this other company which represents it's self as Samsung. This 3rd party company all they do is customer service, but because they do it for so many companies, the reps only go by what options show up on their screens and may not be versed on every company they represent. The same rep who handled your call as "Samsung", their next call might be as "Dell" for example.

My guess is they set up the survey questions like that because they probably have to show a report to Samsung about how satisfied customers are, and they probably also use those statistics when selling their services to other companies.

I'm not excusing Samsung, it's their job to give great customer support. I'm not sure if what I laid out is the case, but it's what makes sense to me as to why you got treated the way you did.

Oh I get you that makes sense in this context. Yeah your probably right about

 

[Savor]

Samsung in a nutshell:

Nice start when you open the box, hardware and software issues galore, then new device.

My friends are hit or miss on Samsung. I used the S6 I got for a few days before I noticed some issues. The home button is looser than my original S6 Edges I had and my mom's Edge. So I am returning it. I think I had it with them too. Even for a cheaper device on eBay, I have had bad luck outside of my 6S+ with performance. I got a Moto G 3rd gen 16gb/2gb combo. I just said keep it simple and go with the best bang for my buck.

It has all the Moto features w/o the bad battery life of the Moto X. If there is a Nexus 6 on sale for $250 I might decide to return my Moto G, but so far it's nice outside of slower wifi.

Stick to Motorola, man. Get a $50 Moto E 4G (2nd gen). Basically as fast as a 2012 Samsung Galaxy Note II that originally cost $300 with contract.

We now live in an era where we do not need to pay over $100-$200 for a solid smartphone anymore. Like in another thread, I got so turned off by Samsung when my relatives 6-year old TV never turned on again and Samsung was asking for $1,500 to replace the display and have it repaired. They might as well buy another TV than get that fixed! Hit or miss.

I never had customer service experience with Motorola. The only times was leaving comments on their YouTube channel and they always give me a nice response. The three key words are - SIMPLE. AFFORDABLE. RELIABLE. And Motorola, Nokia and a few others excel better in those areas than Samsung.

 

[ItHurtsWhenIP]

I hate how so many ignorant people nowadays think Samsung = Android (just wanted to get this off my chest, this is not related to anyone nor any post in this thread). Android is great, but Samsung is horrible.

I despise Samsung with a passion, but this post would've put me over the top if I didn't already. What a truly disgusting story. That chat with the customer dissatisfaction rep is embarrassing and insulting. I vote for it to be posted to Facebook also.

I only have one question for you, MRU. After all this. Are you going to keep spending your hard earned money on Samsung products? Or are you the type that likes an abusive relationship where we (you) get nothing and they (Scumsung) get (away with) anything?

 

[MRU]

I only have one question for you, MRU. After all this. Are you going to keep spending your hard earned money on Samsung products? Or are you the type that likes an abusive relationship where we (you) get nothing and they (Scumsung) get (away with) anything?

This experience beyond anything else will make me question buying Samsung phones again. For example given how horrendous this was, if my Note 5 breaks I'm basically screwed as its not officially sold here. I'm never going to get support for it.

I will without question halt completely and either dramatically reduce purchases of Samsung phones going forward. It has left a nasty after taste and as a person who needs good resale value as I get so many devices this is an area too where Samsung has really burned me this year. I eventually got €375 for my €949 S6 Edge when I sold it. That's a loss financially greater than I paid for an entire device.

So these two factors (horrific after support here, and resale value plummeting) will most definitely affect my relationship with them going forward.

I'm just not prepared to do either going forward (lose so much money or endure protracted half arsed support).

I may like the hardware, but there's more to a device than just the hardware.

Going forward into 2016 I'll be keeping an eye on them but will be reserving my money more for the likes of Motorola and others offering far better customer service and more importantly less dramatic plummet decrease in resale value (due to lower initial cost).

 

[question fear]

What I mean is a lot of time big corporations outsource their customer service to another company. So what happened is a 3rd party company actually handles customer service calls for several different companies, and depending which number you call a different set of options appears to the phone rep on their computer. So even though your calling the Samsung customer number, your being directed to this other company which represents it's self as Samsung. This 3rd party company all they do is customer service, but because they do it for so many companies, the reps only go by what options show up on their screens and may not be versed on every company they represent. The same rep who handled your call as "Samsung", their next call might be as "Dell" for example.

My guess is they set up the survey questions like that because they probably have to show a report to Samsung about how satisfied customers are, and they probably also use those statistics when selling their services to other companies.

I'm not excusing Samsung, it's their job to give great customer support. I'm not sure if what I laid out is the case, but it's what makes sense to me as to why you got treated the way you did.

I would also add this-a lot of companies take these surveys as very black and white. Either you get the top score, or you get a zero. When I worked at Borders we were CONSTANTLY punished if our customer service surveys came back at less than 5 (5 was the best, 1 was the worst). I can remember fighting about this at a management meeting, because it was insanely unfair to punish us when we'd receive, say, 10 results from the survey where 9 people rated us a 4 out of 5 and one person gave us a 5...that was considered a failing week, even if the people who rated us a 4 out of 5 were doing so thinking "gee, the store is great but I wish parking at the mall was easier".

Worse, we were supposed to punish cashiers who tried to help by explaining we only received credit for a 5, so if the customer was happy could they give us a 5...

Basically, the problem with all these surveys is twofold-companies want top marks only, and they set up the situation so that reps are forced into pushing for top marks only, even though psychologically most consumers will not give someone 100% for everyday service.