Vivo gave me extra-special treatment, and a discount, which wasn’t exactly the point, and I’m still waiting on a promised interview about their customer relations practices. Submissions for questions welcome.
Two weeks ago I wrote about the sorry state of customer service in Brazil, using a 7,000 reais mistake Vivo, my cell phone provider, had made on my bill as an example, adding to the growing chorus of those upset with the ways big companies treat consumers here. I suggested that – as one of their employees even admitted – Vivo intentionally makes it difficult for users to resolve issues and that this was part of a long-entrenched trend in Brazilian society to take advantage of customers.
As you would expect, the story quickly met with sympathy on social networks. And as you would expect, the response from Vivo’s press team was swift. They emailed me the next day, asking for my cell phone number so they could look into my case. I told them I would not tell them, as providing special treatment to me just because I have a Folha blog wouldn’t exactly address the underlying issue, but that I wanted to do an interview with them on the topic of customer service instead.
This didn’t work. They found my account quickly, and I was promptly informed that my bill had been reduced from $7,100 reais to $230 reais, which, coincidentally, is the least I have ever been billed and is certainly much less than I actually owe (is that a bribe?).
They told me that if I should ever have trouble in the future, I should contact them directly – contact their press team, that is. Again, I told them that this kind of special treatment for journalists only served to re-enforce my original point, that the average Brazilian, often overworked and in debt, is the one that gets screwed. So I asked for an interview again. They said yes, ok, hold on. That was two weeks ago.
Then began the waiting. I then said we could do it any time last week, and was informed that would be fine. Then, they said they’d need until Friday, or Monday (three days ago) at the latest. Since then, I asked once more, then again. No response.
Of course, it’s impossible they just hope I will forget and are trying to avoid the interview, and I expect it will happen soon. So I’d like to invite anyone who’s ever been confused by Vivo’s practices to submit questions of your own. They are already known as Brazil’s premier carrier so we shouldn’t be worried about hurting their feelings.
To submit a question, you can try the comments section but if that system is broken, as it sometimes is, you can send them on Twitter or to my email, which is available here.
Here’s some I’m curious about myself:
The interesting question for me is how the company relates to consumers in Brazil, whether I am right about their strategies, and how things can improve. Some questions:
1. Why don’t service agents in Vivo shops have phones?
2. Why can’t they help with complaints?
3. If a customer makes a small mistake, they are punished dearly. If the company makes a huge mistake, there is no penalty. Why not?
4. How has hanging up on customers come to seem like company policy?
5. When my attendant told me he was certain that Vivo intentionally made it difficult for customers to resolve bill issues, was he wrong?
6. Why doesn’t Vivo notify customers as their bill approaches what amounts to 6 months of wages for the average Brazilian?
Submissions welcome.
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