Obstreperous with E-on

Long Google search for pic expressing my current feelings. Found this. Feeling itself well expressed. Just wishing the model wasn't so blonde, so Caucasian, so young.

E-on is my current electricity company. My use of the word current is not meant as a pun (though it did raise a smirk), but rather to suggest that it may well not be my company of choice in the future. The other day there was a power cut. My meter went blank, and I couldn't tell if I had enough electricity to last through the snow. I could not get through on the phone, so I followed the advice on the website, and sent an e-mail.

Today E-on called me back. I've already lost an hour of my life dealing with their rigid protocols, ear-wormingly repetitive music on hold (for over 30 of those 60 minutes), and inefficient complaints procedure, so why should you also suffer? Suffice it to say that it might not have been so bad if, when the representative concluded with the question, "has your complaint been resolved?", I'd just said, "Yes. Thank you. Goodbye." However, being me, I had to be literal. "No," I said. Del was a bit surprised.  Apparently, if the customer says no, the protocol is to refer her/him to the Complaints Department. All I meant was that the meter hadn't been fixed yet. And, being me, I couldn't let it go. Sigh. One hour later I'm no wiser, but perhaps less inclined to be obstreperous in the future.

What has me steaming, though, is that once again I do not understand why customer service training does not seem to include this simple tool:  when you receive a call from a dissatisfied customer, the very first thing to do is to state kindly and compassionately some version of:  I'm sorry that you are unhappy. The customer hears "sorry" immediately, and in most cases this completely diffuses the situation. By saying sorry you are not laying yourself or the company open to litigation. You are not taking personal responsibility for what has happened. You ARE acknowledging that this customer has arrived at your desk because they are upset, and you ARE showing them that you would like to help them. Why is this so difficult? (Especially if you are a man in your early 20's)

Meanwhile, maybe I need to work on being a little less difficult myself. I don't know what got into me!

UPDATE: today was the day that they came to fix the meter. I was given a slot from 8 am to noon. At a quarter past noon, the chap showed up. He couldn't find the fuse, and the building manager had to come over. The fuses weren't marked, so an E-on guy with a machine had to come over. He was in Bedford. He had to go somewhere else to get the machine. When he arrived, he needed batteries for his machine as "guys keep nicking mine".  He changed the meter and the job was completed just before 5 pm.