Before you make contact
Gather the account or order number, the dates, the amounts and any earlier reference numbers, and write one sentence that states the problem and one that states the fix you want. Chat suits simple requests and leaves you a transcript, which you should save. The phone is better for billing disputes and anything with a complicated history. Lines are shortest early on weekday mornings in the middle of the week, and longest on Mondays and at lunch. In a phone tree, saying "representative" or pressing zero will often reach a person.
The first minute
Ask for the agent's name and write it down with the date and time. Ask for a ticket or reference number at the start, and give your own number in case the call drops. Then state the problem in two sentences and make your request: "I was charged twice for my March bill, on the 3rd and again on the 5th. I would like the second charge reversed." The agent did not cause your problem, and it helps to say so: "I know this is not your doing, and I am hoping you can help me sort it out." Agents hold real discretion over credits and waived fees, and they spend it on callers they like.
When the answer is no
- Ask what the agent is able to do, which moves the conversation from the policy to the options.
- Ask politely to be transferred to a supervisor or to the department with authority over the matter.
- Ask for the retention or cancellation department when the issue is the price of a subscription, because that team holds the discounts. Say that you will cancel only if you are prepared to do it.
- End the call courteously and try again later, since policies are applied unevenly and a second agent will often say yes.
- Keep your temper, because agents are allowed to end abusive calls and the notes on your account outlast the conversation.
Before you hang up
Repeat back what was agreed, including the amount, the date on which it should appear and the reference number. Ask the agent to record the promise in the notes on your account and to send a confirmation email. Put the date in your calendar and check your statement.
Tip Put the phone on speaker and do something useful while you hold. Forty minutes of listening to hold music is how reasonable people end up shouting at the one person able to help them.
