Yes. I am angry.
And incredulous.
And shocked.
OK, I admit it; it was my fault for leaving a cordless telephone outside during a rainstorm. Yes, it got drenched. Soaked. Waterlogged. I admit it. I did it. It was careless. But the phone now has problems. It still rings and it can send and receive calls. It can even record messages. What can’t it do anymore?
Caller ID drowned and no longer will reveal the identity of the “friendly” voice on the other end of the line. Now I have the hardship of picking up the receiver to know the identity of the intruder trying to gain uninvited access to my home.
How many calls to your home come from salespeople? How many are seeking donations or contributions? Diseases I never heard of need my support for research. Organizations I never heard of need my old clothes. Groups I never joined need my help to survive. These callers never leave voice messages, so only if you answer the call will you have to listen to their sales pitches. It’s gotten to the point that I am almost phobic about answering a phone before knowing who is calling.
But I digress. Why am I so angry? Because of the conversation I just had with the “technical support” person at Panasonic. After all the time it took for me to look for and recite the microscopic print of the model and serial numbers on the bottom of the phone set this is what I learned about the value of Panasonic’s technical support. The technician gave me the outrageous information that I could send the phone back for repair. But the company will charge $9.95 simply for providing the address I need to send it to for repair. Once they receive the phone they will inform me how much it will cost to repair it.
Am I being unreasonable for being so surprised to be asked to pay for an address? It’s not as if I’m trying to get Tom Hanks or Meryl Streep’s addresses, is it? So what’s the big secret?
I hope the IRS doesn’t get wind of this outrageous way to raise money or they may charge us all for the address we need in order to send them our tax payments next April!
MorristownMemos 
Comments on: "STEAM RISING FROM MY HEAD" (22)
It’s annoying, dealing with the rich and faceless companies who are quick to fleece their customers. I hope you’ll get this sorted soon…
Annoying is a kind way of expressing the feelings toward this company!
We could all use some support for technical support! 🙂
Great idea; sign me on!
It is this kind of corporate idiocy that creates the single use item (and overflowing landfills). Nothing can easily be fixed anymore. I do have a friend from the Philippines, and she said people there fix EVERYthing. So I give her items such as you describe and she ships them there for her relatives, who get them fixed for pennies on the US dollar. Criminal, this country. And until we demand it change, it won’t.
Maybe your friend would be interested in starting a new business. Is she willing to share her contact information?
I am sure not. She is a dedicated trained healer from a very young age in her country, and that is her path. The proceeds of what I and others donate go to her orphanage there on the island of Mindanao. Cheers, Ronnie.
What an admirable calling; I wish her every success in her mission.
My experiences with Psonic have been much the same as yours, Ronnie. I just don’t call them anymore. As for the phone, by the time you pay for the address, shipping, and repairs, you could have bought another phone system, probably with change to spare…., but not a Panasonic !!! 🙂
Great idea, but can you but a different brand of phone that would be compatible with the phones we have? The one I need to replace is an extension on the main line.
Sorry for your issues.. easier it seems to just get a new phone!
I thought so too, but Panasonic told me that the new handset costs $99.50. That was another nasty surprise.
Right on, Ronnie. I found out how to block calls on my phone. Unfortunately I have filled it to capacity.
Is there a way to empty the cache of deleted calls and wait to fill it again with other disturbers of the peace?
Great idea Andrew. Panasonic wasn’t very customer friendly.
No they weren’t Bev. I guess that’s why I was so infuriated by their answer to me. I expected a company like Panasonic to be more helpful.
Oh Ronnie…this is funny but not so funny. The more technologically sophisticated we get the less customer service there is. 😕
How did those two facts become mutually exclusive? It’s a mystery to me!
Maybe you could turn that around into a money maker for yourself. Next time a sales person calls just tell them, “It will be $9.95 for my address and $12.95 for every question I answer. Will that be Visa or Mastercard?”
Oh, I am so changing my voicemail greeting: “Call backs are $11.95 for the first two minutes. Please leave a major credit card number if you’d like me to call you back. To use PayPal, please log into my website.”
The possibilities are endless…
Andrew, what a priceless reply! Is here room in your schedule for a job as tactical advisor?
For you, yes.
Why thank you, kind sir; I am honored!