Where can I file a formal complaint about bad tech support

Advanced feature discussion, beta programs and unsupported "Labs" features.
15 posts Page 1 of 2
by andy64 » Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:58 pm
the support rep, "Ken" refused to tell me where I could file that complaint
by ngufra » Wed Jan 19, 2022 7:18 am
andy64 wrote:the support rep, "Ken" refused to tell me where I could file that complaint
You could call 611 again and ask the person answering --probably not Ken-- about where to file your complaint.
by dane » Wed Jan 19, 2022 11:15 am
You could email support@sonic.net and ask that a supervisor review your message.
Dane Jasper
Sonic
by andy64 » Wed Jan 19, 2022 7:31 pm
Dane, I think you are the CEO. I've been a customer since 2002, that's 20 years. The last 2 years of interaction with Sonic support have been universally horrible. Horrible. In the 18 years previous, they were all wonderful. Has the company been sold to someone else? Has it gotten so big that you don't have quality control anymore/ or enough training? I would have already left except it takes so much time to switch everything over. I'm profoundly disappointed.
by ec » Thu Jan 20, 2022 9:36 am
Hi Andy -

I'm sorry we disappointed you yesterday.

In all truth, I think you are feeling dissatisfied with our support because our focus has changed.

Wordpress has never been formally supported, but in the past we had people on staff that had some personal experience that could give informal suggestions and would bend the rules by providing some phone support.

Today, we are completely focused on access products, and the people we have on staff generally have no personal experience with Hosting, or Wordpress.

The complaint process was a miscommunication, and I apologize for that. My rep thought you were appealing for a higher level of support with the Wordpress problem, which is not supported, and that is why he sent you here. He did not understand that you only wished to file a formal complaint regarding the lack of support.

We can still provide support, but it's best to email support@sonic.net so we can assign the ticket to the right resource.

Thank you,

- Eli Caul

Director of Customer Care
Sonic.net, Inc
- Eli Caul

Director of Customer Care
Sonic.net, Inc
by andy64 » Mon Feb 14, 2022 11:34 am
Eli, I really don't have a lot of time to deal with internal managememnt issues at Sonic. Your analysis is incorrect. Please go back and LISTEN to my convo with your rep. "calls are recorded." The guy was clearly either a. stonewalling or b. not that good at following very very basic logical trains of thought. I have spent decades as a teacher, both in ESL settings and as an instructor (of computers) in a homeless services center, where clients came in with multiple diagnoses of mental illness and were often drunk or high. I am extremely good at making things clear. I was utterly unable to and wasted 30-45 mintutes of time. Again, listen to that call. When I asked where I could lodge a complaint, how could I speak to a supervisor, which I did at least three and as many as five times, he just told me to go to this forum. It was not a miscommunication. I have been a client of sonic since 2002, that's 20 years. and I always stayed with you because phone support was smart and accurate and helpful. 2-3 years ago, that started going steeply downhill, but that call I'm referencing was literally the worst ever, by a power of ten. Don't write back to me please, I've got other stuff to do, but please clean up the mess. I'll be leaving sonic just as soon as I can make the time, but for other customers' sake, go back to how you used ot hire and train tech support.
by dsw » Wed May 25, 2022 8:56 am
I just had a similar very bad experience with customer support.

I have a server in the basement of the house of a friend of mine. It has always had a static IP address so I can log into it using ssh from my home. We both have Sonic. You are moving him to fiber, so my machine will no longer have an externally-visible static IP address. This is a problem for me.

About 3 days ago, I called your customer support a few days ago and I was told that he could configure his router using "IP passthrough" and that would continue to me to use static IP.

My friend expressed skepticism about this and so I called back the next day and the second customer support rep said that would not work and I would have to use dynamic DNS, which turned out to be correct. I complained that the first person had given me the wrong answer. He said he would look into that and into any other options I might have and call me back. He never did.

I called a third time and asked about having dynamic DNS set up. I was told that Sonic does not provide this service (you in fact do provide this service: https://public-api.sonic.net/dyndns ). He suggested that my friend could call me on the phone every time my IP address changes. I started yelling at him, saying that this is not a competent thing to say to a customer, as it is not. He asked me why I was being "aggressive". I pointed out that I am not being aggressive, his response is not competent and I hung up.

I recommend you listen to all of those calls; why are you recording them otherwise?

(1) I agree with the other poster on this thread: your customer service has gone way downhill from the past.

(2) You need a way for us to report these problems that we KNOW has NO chance of going to the original person about whom we are complaining. They could spy on our email or do who knows what to us.

(3) It is not our job to deal with internal incompetence at Sonic. We are PAYING YOU. You fix it.
by amayfield » Wed May 25, 2022 10:12 am
Thank you for the feedback, we'll be reviewing your recent interactions with our support team to identify any training opportunities and take action where necessary.

Regarding your specific issue, I'm sorry our support team wasn't consistent in providing guidance there. Echoing what Eli talked about earlier in this thread - what you've been asking about isn't strictly supported, which means our team isn't trained on it. We do give our representatives the agency to attempt to assist folks with unsupported issues, though we ask they communicate when an issue is unsupported. That is something we will be looking out for when we review these interactions.

If you are curious about what does fall under the umbrella of support you can find that on our knowledgebase here - https://help.sonic.com/hc/en-us/article ... ort_policy

I would ask you refrain from yelling at our representatives. It is understandable to be frustrated and to vent those frustrations but we ask that interactions with our support team remain courteous.

Thanks again for the feedback, it's appreciated.
Andrew M.
Community & Escalations Manager
Sonic
by dsw » Sat May 28, 2022 11:52 am
I see, so you are saying failing to provide me with competent support for a service for which I am paying, which is causing me real problems, that's ok. However me yelling, which causes no harm at all other than to your egos and your sleepiness, that's not ok?

Your priorities are screwed up.

(1) Reality matters. Your feeling do not. Your feelings are wholly your responsibility.

(2) I am the CUSTOMER. I am paying YOU, not the other way around. This is NOT a symmetric relationship.

If you are causing me real problems I am going to yell at you.

Edit: I just realized that the above may be unclear in one way. I am not yelling random abuse at your workers. I am being articulate with them about the difference between (1) what they are doing or not doing versus (2) what I am saying is their job to be doing or not doing. This is a helpful way to complain. I am not just randomly being angry. I am clearly articulating the problem. When people are not listening and I need their attention, I clearly articulate the problem in a loud voice. As soon as they start listening, I no longer need the loud voice. The idea that people should never use the loud voice is ridiculous, but that sounds like what you are saying.
by luv2swim » Wed Aug 17, 2022 5:16 pm
dsw wrote:I see, so you are saying failing to provide me with competent support for a service for which I am paying, which is causing me real problems, that's ok. However me yelling, which causes no harm at all other than to your egos and your sleepiness, that's not ok?

Your priorities are screwed up.

(1) Reality matters. Your feeling do not. Your feelings are wholly your responsibility.

(2) I am the CUSTOMER. I am paying YOU, not the other way around. This is NOT a symmetric relationship.

If you are causing me real problems I am going to yell at you.

Edit: I just realized that the above may be unclear in one way. I am not yelling random abuse at your workers. I am being articulate with them about the difference between (1) what they are doing or not doing versus (2) what I am saying is their job to be doing or not doing. This is a helpful way to complain. I am not just randomly being angry. I am clearly articulating the problem. When people are not listening and I need their attention, I clearly articulate the problem in a loud voice. As soon as they start listening, I no longer need the loud voice. The idea that people should never use the loud voice is ridiculous, but that sounds like what you are saying.
You aren't paying for a static ip-compatible service, you're paying for basic internet service. You're also not paying for IT technicians, you're paying for level one representatives have limited knowledge on this topic. If you want an IT technician who is "competent" enough to deal with this issue, then hire one.

They might have gotten the answer wrong, yes. Which is expected when none of the techs you asked are trained on the issue at all and it is an unsupported issue which you would know if you bothered to read the company policy.

The tech provided a potential suggestion and you let your emotions take control of you and started yelling, making your feelings (your responsibility, as you put it) everyone else's problem. People providing suggestions you don't like does not equal them not listening to you. In addition, you're the one that hung up instead of calmly saying "that doesn't work for me, do you have another suggestion?" and going from there, so they didn't refuse to help you or terminate the call, you made a conscious choice.

If you're really so sure about what you're saying, why would you have a problem with the tech who you're complaining about looking at the email? When their supervisor brings up the training issue, they will know it refers to your call specifically anyway. If they tampered with your account in any way, that's a fire-able offence, so unless they wanted to lose their job over one call with you it's unlikely they would do that.

People not providing a service you're not paying for isn't incompetence. You aren't paying for unsupported issues. You're not paying for shit outside the actual company policy.
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