| rev:text
| - Two weeks ago one of their trucks tore a tree branch almost entirely off of a tree in my front yard. I saw it happen. My neighbor saw it happen. We also saw the driver pick up part of the branch, look around, throw it in the truck and take off. I tried to chase the truck down but couldn't catch it, so I did the sane thing and called Republic Services. I spoke to a very Nice and Concerned rep at their national call center (fun fact: even though there's a local number listed all the calls go to the call center, so you conveniently don't ever get to talk to someone locally who could address your issue! Isn't that cool?)
The customer service rep took all my info, assured me it would be sent to the local dispatch office and that someone would call me and have the tree branch cut down and removed within 48 hours. 4 days later...
Call #2: Nice & Concerned rep #2 picks up and it's basically a lather, rinse, repeat of call 1, except this time the rep filed it as an "escalation." Sounds impressive right? That's what I thought. Now stuff will happen! Victory is within my grasp! Fast forward to call #3 two days later...
This whole thing started on Friday April 20, and call 3 happens on the 26th. Same thing, except this time I decide to smarten up and ask Nice & Concerned rep 3 for the direct line to the area dispatch. Guess what? There is no direct number to area dispatch! Well then how does your office contact them, I ask. She says, my supervisor emails them.
Me: Ok, so can we send this email please?
Her: yes, I'll talk to her and ask her to send it. Meanwhile I'll mark this as an escalation (the magic word!) so they know it's urgent. Someone will call you by end of business today.
Me: riiiiiight.
Call #4:
Nice & Concerned rep #4 picks up.
Me: Blah blah, case #, my name, etc. So about this tree branch...
Her: Yes, I see that you've called...FOUR TIMES? Is that right?
Me: Yup.
Her: Oy. (I swear to god that's what she said)
Long, story short, I went through the exact same steps with her as I've done the previous 4 calls, which brings me to today and...drum roll...call #5!
My wife, who is a take-no-crap kind of person, decides she's had enough. She borrows a chainsaw from the neighbor and cuts the branch down, chops it into smaller pieces and neatly stacks it by our bins. Bonus: she nearly falls coming down! Today is a pick up day so hopefully they'll do the easy work of carting this debris away.
Call #5 starts as they all have but ends with me actually speaking to a "senior supervisor" at the call center in Indiana. He, like all the other reps is Nice and Polite but Even More Concerned than the previous agents I've spoken to. He's Earnest and Sincere, tries to relate to me by saying he visits Las Vegas all the time, etc, etc. Ultimately this Nice Concerned Senior Supervisor says he will be my advocate in this matter and make sure someone takes responsibility for this giant screw up (his words). I am not optimistic.
This just in! This is a real-time update:
As I am standing here writing this a Republic Services truck arrives and out steps a supervisor. I explained the situation and he is struck dumb. Speechless. He gives me his card, apologizes repeatedly and promises that the driver responsible for this whole thing will be written up and disciplined. Our supervisor, named Derek, btw, is at this very moment gathering the branches and debris and taking it away. Success! At long last victory is mine!
See kids? There's nothing you can't do with just a little patience, some initiative, two weeks, 5 phone calls to customer service, a chainsaw, lots of persistent complaining, a personal visit from a supervisor and many, many hours that could have been spent doing other things.
Never give up, never surrender.
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