Time is money and customers end up paying

You have been on the phone for 20 minutes listening to elevator music, advertising, or a message saying "thank you for waiting, your call will be answered by the next available operator" for the hundredth time.

This daytime call is costing you 11.5p for every three minutes you are on hold. Add this to the time you will spend on the phone once you get through and it is hardly an ideal model for delivering customer satisfaction.

Frustrated consumers are starting to insist that businesses deliver on their customer service promises, says Mr James O'Flynn of the newly formed telecommunications committee of the Consumer Association of Ireland (CAI).

"On anecdotal evidence we've found that there are many people who dislike dealing with suppliers who keep them waiting longer than a minute or so. Obviously, people are very conscious of the cost of telephone calls. People don't mind waiting as much when they're not paying for it."

The committee is examining the problem of excessive waiting times and unclear telecommunications charges. "We are investigating this area which opened up to competition as recently as the first of December."

Customer service numbers attached to airlines and computer-related companies appear to deliver the highest level of frustration. This is despite their reliance on repeat business.

"Airlines who wish to sell their products should keep the waiting time to the absolute minimum. Once on hold, one should be given the option of being called back or leaving a message, not listening to some dreary toneless tune or advertising propaganda," says Mr O'Flynn.

Although staffing levels are a problem in both industries, the customer should not be made to suffer. "A very prominent Internet service provider (ISP) admitted to having only four technical reps on the premises on a Friday evening, hardly enough to cater for their 60,000 or so customers," said Mr O'Flynn. "The same ISP uses an ordinary 01 number, so its non-Dublin customers pay national call rates to sort out problems."

Telecom Eireann provides companies with three types of customer service numbers. The first, FreeFone, 1800 numbers allow customers to call without a charge. The, 1850, or CallSave number costs 11.5p regardless of its length or where the call originates from. An 1890 or LoCall number costs 11.5p for three minutes regardless of where the call originated from and even if calling long distance. Some businesses do not provide special numbers and customers calling locally during the business day are charged 11.5p for three minutes during the day and 11.5p for 15 minutes offpeak or after 6 p.m. or at weekends. Telecom Eireann says, however, that there has been an increase in the number of CallSave numbers issued in recent years.

"The CAI feel that waiting times to service providers should and can be cut down by a `consumer-friendly' attitude from those same providers. They should not keep people waiting listening to advertising blurbs. If they are truly providing a service they should pay for the call or at least ensure it is a LoCall, or an 1850 number, in other words one only pays 11.5p for the call. This way the consumer does not pay for an organisation's inefficiency."

Although computer-generated waiting queues are the bane of modern existence many customers feel powerless. Some people, like Family Money reader Mrs Smyth from Raheny, fight back by demanding compensation. Last month, Mrs Smyth spent one hour and 10 minutes on a finance company's 1850 number sorting out a problem it had caused.

After four phone calls, including waiting time listening to music, Mrs Smyth asked to speak with a manager. After explaining her frustration with the situation she demanded reimbursement. "I told him that I was either transferred on, or left waiting and had heard Flight of the Hebrews from start to finish several times," she said. The manager reluctantly agreed to her wishes and a £10 gift voucher was sent to her home the next day.

Many customers would shy away from such a request. Time is money however, and if a product is sold based on its customer service it should be delivered.

"As consumers, we should avoid providers who do not treat the customer right," says Mr O'Flynn. "We have the buying power to change these attitudes. Do not purchase goods and services from providers who do not give FreeFone or LoCall technical support."

A spokesman for the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs, said: "There's no legislation dealing with this, it's an open matter. Except if there is advertising that is false and misleading to a material degree."

For example, if a company offers a "no-waiting promise" in its print, broadcast or word of mouth advertising and does not deliver on this promise, it has produced false and misleading advertising. Each case is different, however, and will be judged individually under existing legislation.

Otherwise, consumers who feel they are not being provided with the customer service promised at the time of purchase should contact the company.

It seems logical that customer service phone numbers should cater to the consumer's needs, not the company's needs. Customer service calls should be free or charged at a low rate. The best service providers understand the necessity of giving customers valid information while they are on hold.

In an ideal situation, callers should be given the approximate waiting time, their number in the queue, and the facility to leave a message. Unless these options are provided, from a customer relations point of view, reimbursement should be made available for excessive waiting time or expenses incurred.

Although more companies are taking customers' needs into consideration, others have a long way to go to refine their public image. "Many people are convinced that this is a conspiracy to lengthen their phone bills," says Mr O'Flynn. "These lines are organised by customer services departments and the policy should be `don't keep the customer waiting'.