So I work call-center / Customer Service for my country’s biggest train company where the majority of trains that ride are from our network.
To encourage people to travel with the trains and to make it easier, cheaper and spread people out a little more we also give different kinds of subscriptions so people can get discounts or travel for free during certain hours with not just our trains but also trains from other companies.
Most people like this and because of that many have some kind of subscription where they pay a certain amount of money for every year or month, depending on what subscription they have and how they set it up.
Now due to Corona or Covid-19 it has been highly advised by the government to use public transportation as little as possible ever since March.
Because of this many people have canceled their subscriptions or taken smaller/cheaper ones so they aren’t paying for nothing.
Understandable, right?
Well, some people thought that they’d keep it going for a while longer, see what happened and canceled it anyway later like in May.
Also understandable, right?
Well, some people also didn’t do that and are calling just now to cancel their subscriptions and many get mad to realize we can’t review that last few months that have passed in which they didn’t use their subscription but it was still billed like a subscription does.
The reason we can’t do this is because it’s not allowed by the higher-ups due to it literally being the customers’s own faults for not ending their subscriptions sooner.
Just yesterday I had one of these calls again.
To make it easier I’ll be M and the customer who was a old man wil be OM.
M: Good afternoon, (train company’s name), this is (my name) speaking! How can I help you?
OM: Yes, hello! I want to cancel my discount-subscription!
M: Alright, can I then please have your (list of contact info) so I can find your account?
OM: *gives info*
M: Great, I found your subscription! May I know why exactly you want to cancel it?
OM: Well because I haven’t been able to travel at all because of that virus! The last time was back all the way in February!
M: Yes, if you don’t use it I understand you don’t want to pay for it. So I can stop it in a few days on (date, I don’t remember which one exactly) and because I can see that you pay a yearly amount ahead, you will be getting money back for the period that is still to come.
OM: But what about all those months that passed?
M: I’m sorry sir but I can’t do anything about that.
OM: WHAT?! Are you serious?! But I didn’t even use it so why am I paying?!
M: Once again, I’m sorry sir but during those months your subscription kept going and if you didn’t want to pay for it you should have stopped it sooner.
OM: But why do I even need to stop it myself?! Can’t you people see right now that I didn’t you it?!
M: Yes, we can see that now bu-
OM: Then why didn’t you stop it?!
M: Sir-
OM: And I know it’s not that you need the money from me because I know you have millions of people who keep theirs!
M: Sir, it’s not-
OM: You should keep track on if I use my subscription or not and I should only pay then! This is plain thievery!
M: SIR! Sir, we can not keep track of every subscription and if it’s being used or not! You just said it yourself, we have millions of subscriptions being used or not every day and it’s impossible to keep track of all of them! Also, even if we could, we need a customer’s vocal agreement to cancel a subscription due to the law! If we cancel a subscription without permission then we’d break the law! The best I can do for you is cancel your subscription right now so you will at least get some money back!
OM: Fine then!
After that I cancelled the subscription and gave him instructions on how everything would go and we hung up.
After that I had to rub my head for a solid minute to make the head-ache he caused stop.
The worst part it I’ve been getting these kinds of calls more and more.
Is this really such a weird policy? No, right?
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