ComplaintsforComNet

• Initial Complaint

  07/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This is an answering service for ******** brothers for after hours. ***** in particular is rude and unproductive. He has a smart mouth and doesnt take down messages without trying insert his lack of authority! My brand new AC unit isnt working. My daughter is sick and screaming and he hangs up on me. I hate this company and everyone should know anyone or anything affiliated with them is a lie. They try to sell you on personality because they obviously lack skill. This unit needs to be removed and I no longer want anything to do with Petermans or its affiliates! Attaching call log The ************ is there escalation number plus the listed number in the last few days alone. Also pics of thermostat not changing after service and pics of my kids sleeping on the floor downstairs because its cool although we have a $18000 system.

  Business response

  08/10/2023

  ComNet Llc is a third-party answering service for ******** Brothers, we were hired by ******** to answer their overflow and after-hours phone calls. We do not schedule appointments,dispatch technicians, nor perform service on any of their equipment. Our sole purpose is to take messages that are either sent to their office the next business day or in case of irate callers we are instructed to take a message that will automatically be emailed to the managers. We have no further authority than what the client has hired us to do, we are a message service. If the consumer's new a/c system wasn't functioning she had a valid complaint and a right to be upset. She had the right for her requests for service and removal of equipment to be heard. She had interactions with 4 of our agents and all of them, on every call offered to do what was within their authority to do, take a message for the office or escalate the call via email to a department manager.The action that our agents could take did not satisfy what the consumer was insisting upon. The consumer's complaint against our company is mixing issues with 2 different companies together. We only have control of what transpired during her interactions with our agents, we cannot control any services ******** provides. The resolution she is requesting is one that is not within our control, we cannot remove ********** equipment nor refund any funds that have been paid to ******** by the consumer. The consumer was made aware that after hours we could take messages and relay them, by continuing to call after hours she was going to be met with the same options. Since she was already upset, us not being able to dispatch her calls only added to her frustration.The consumer began taking that frustration out on our agents. All of our calls are recorded, and I have listened to each interaction. All of the agents were professional and did the job they are hired to do. Every time a new call comes in a script opens on our screens, we do not see the information from prior calls, we cannot pull up previous records/messages while actively speaking to a caller and taking a new message. We do not have access to any of ********** client records. Every time the consumer called the agent had to take a brand-new message, they had to ask for her name, address, phone number, and issue. This was upsetting to the consumer, she insisted we had all the information and that she was sure her record popped up. Our agents are instructed that if callers are abusive towards them, cursing at them, or making threats that they can warn the caller and disconnect and that is what occurred during a couple of the interactions with the consumer. She informed our agents that she was the consumer, and they were on the clock, yes that is all true,however they do not have to remain on the line to be verbally attacked. 
  There are 6 recorded interactions with the consumer. Her first encounter with ***** was at 1:22am 7/13/23. She stated her a/c wasn't working, it was 80 degrees in the home, it was a newly installed $18,000 unit. He offered to take a message for the office since all technicians were booked. She expressed that she was upset, that she had a service emergency, and no one was available. ***** stated he could take a message for the department manager, which is what he did. She told him she wanted the unit removed and that there were also issues when it was installed.She proceeded to say, "Ya'll are at home sleeping with a/c. Ya'll can come get your system, I will go with somebody else, I don't have time for this", Since she had begun making it personal referring to "Ya'll" ***** said "I understand that you are upset, everybody's situation is different, but if you can just leave me out of it, I know you are referring to ********", he said it politely however it upset her and she told him "Don't try to check me", he told her he was trying to come at her respectfully and even apologized twice for upsetting her. She proceeded to ask what time the ofc opened and was told 7a, she stated that he had p****d her off and she would be telling ******** about the call. I have discussed with ***** better ways to handle irate callers in the future; however, he wasn't disrespectful towards her, and he did everything that was within his power as the answering service. 
  The second call took place at 9:13pm 7/13/23 with *****, consumer stated she had never heard back regarding a portable a/c unit, it was in the 80's in her home and unit was blowing hot air.She told the agent to look at her account, he informed her that he could not see her account since he was with the answering service, he offered to take a message for the office. She told him she didn't want a message, and to tell them to come take their **** a/c unit out of her house in the morning. She stated she would be calling all night long and would be reporting to the BBB,He said he would escalate the message to a department manager. She again stated she would be reporting to the BBB, "******** brands themselves on word of mouth and reputation and I am going to tear them down." At the end of the call the agent emailed the message to management. 
  The third call took place at 9:21PM 7/13/23 with ****, 8 minutes after her call w/*****, she insisted on having her issues escalated, for the answering service escalation is when we take the message for an irate caller and email it to management. That is what occurred with each message the consumer left with us. She was once again told she had reached the answering service and that a message would be taken. She asked, "So you're the only one answering the phones for ********", to which the agent replied that several agents are answering but yes it was the answering service. She replied, "I am going to keep calling, I am going to call all night because I can't sleep and I'm uncomfortable so you will be saying this to me more often than not. I'm going to irritate you and whoever else I get every time I call until I get somebody to call me back because I'm tired of being lied to. I am going to do my best to make you all uncomfortable."  ****** and politely, he told her he could take a message and escalate it to the department manager, to which she replied "You are going to have a lot of these because I am going to keep calling".Message was taken and emailed to management,
  The fourth call took place at 5:42am 7/17/23 with *****. The consumer stated, "I called on Friday to let you know a/c isn't working, my 2-year-old is sick from the temperature changes.I want somebody at this house at 7a, I want your unit out of my house. I have spent all weekend taking pictures of the thermostat and how my kids have had to live and sleep. When I take my daughter to the hospital, I will be charging ******** for the bill.", the agent stated he could take a message. She informed him she was reporting it to the Consumer Fraud Protection Bureau,"I have already reported you to the BBB, I am contacting a consumer attorney". ***** remained calm, said he would take a message for the department manager, as he was asking for the information, she said she was pretty sure her information popped up, didn't want to give it again, stated "I am far from in the mood to play with ******** today as you hear my 2-year-old screaming. Do you have my message?" He tried to tell her that he needed to gather her information again, her reply "I don't care about all that, so you have my message, yes or no? Can you send my message yes or no?" He once again told her he needed to gather the information and she asked what he needed from her, "You have my information, look mother f***** I'm not playing with you", he said "Ma'am I would appreciate if you did not use profanity with me." She replied, "I don't give a F**k what you appreciate, I am tired", and he disconnected the call as he has been instructed to do when callers are cursing at him. 
  The fifth call took place at 5:46am 7/17/23 with *****. He gave the answer phrase to which she replied "You wanna hang up on me again", he replied "Ma'am I would be happy to take a message however I would appreciate it if you didn't use profanity towards me." She replied, "Guess what I would prefer if your unit didn't work and I don't know you so it's not personal but if you can't do your job then they need to put somebody else on the phone, but I am not here to play with your emotions and make you feel better, I'm not, so either take my message or I will keep calling your little a** back til 7 o'clock and then I will work on getting you fired.". He replied,"Ma'am I would appreciate it if you did not send threats or try to use profanity towards me. If you do that again I will hang up.", she replied "It's not a threat, it's a promise, and I will call back, just remember you're on the clock." He told her to have a nice day and disconnected the call. 
  The 6th and final call took place at 5:48am 7/17/23 with ******. She told the agent that her a/c wasn't working, and that ***** kept hanging up on her. She said that she would be reporting it and that she wanted to file a complaint against *****. The agent told her she could take a message and asked how she could help her, to which she said, "I told you my a/c wasn't working". She said she understood we were the answering service, but it doesn't mean you hang up on customers.She requested the unit be removed. Asked the agent the name of our service and was told ComNet. She once again stated she was filing a complaint with the BBB."I am contacting an attorney and I hope ********************* in hell". Her last statement took the agent by surprise and was offensive, the agent replied "Ma'am that wasn't necessary", she replied "You don't tell me what's necessary, because you weren't on the phone and my 2 year old is sick and that disrespectful dude kept hanging up up on me, so if you want to defend him you can go right where I said he belongs." The agent told the caller that the calls were recorded that ***** wasn't a tech, he was an operator. She replied that she didn't care if they were recorded, she hadn't done anything wrong, she didn't mean to offend ******, but he disrespected the consumer.****** finished the message and sent it to the office. 
  I have provided you with details on all 6 interactions to show that we did what we are hired to do by ******** Brothers. In each interaction our agents offered to take messages,they followed the "Irate Caller" dispatch and emailed the call to management. Every interaction was respectful, I agree that the initial interaction with ***** could have been handled better and he has been coached on this matter, however he wasn't disrespectful towards her, and he did all he could do for her. The consumer stated several times that it wasn't personal,however she continued to make each interaction personal when she kept referring to the answering service agent, when she cursed at them, and when she threatened them. The consumer was aware that she was calling after hours and knew what the answering service could do for her. I understand she was angry, frustrated, and upset about the situation with her air conditioning, however she proceeded to take that frustration out on our agents. She became hostile and argumentative when they were all trying to do what they were trained to do and hired to do.Each of the agents did all they could do to help her. ***** was within his rights to disconnect the call when she started threatening him and cursing directly at him. I don't expect any of our agents to accept being verbally abused. 
  I am sorry that the consumer was left with the perception that we didn't do all we could to help her, but we did, it just wasn't the outcome she desired. I honestly don't know how to further resolve the situation since we have no control over what ******** does to resolve the issue with the consumer's air conditioning equipment. I have included screen shots of the scripted information we are to follow on their account. We forwarded all her information to our client, ******** Brothers. 
  
  

  Customer response

  08/11/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  Petermans and Comnet are practicing deceptive practices advertising 24/7 availability but not being able to dispatch anything until regular business hours. Also, this information was not provided willingly and there were multiple calls. The scripts in some of those dont give context and I make no apologies. You took the contract to represent and work for them. Throw them under the bus as you may because they deserve it. It is still on you as well! Im glad others will see this information and be able to correlate between you, ******** and any other companies you service. I didnt start out Irate but thank you for the absolutely long response of scripts. Thank you for the exact ************** as well that further shows the negligence! 

  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

  
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩