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  1. First off, I actually read some of this *edit* books years ago. Kudos for writing about poker when few people were. (I was taught to always lead with a compliment before criticism).

    Now onto your P5's article, which is on the front page as I write this. Blow me.

    Are you serious? You wrote a guide on how a customer should deal with a Customer Service Rep? Good for you for standing up for your employees, but how dare you put out a written mandate for your loyal customers to follow when they are upset with your company's service.

    I've done service in the past, and understand its a thankless job, and anyone who does CS for a living puts up with a ton of crap for way too little money. That said, just because its a crappy job doesn't mean that customers should always say please and thanks when they are upset. They are calling you for a reason. They are unhappy with the service. If they were in a good mood, they wouldn't call you. How do you not get that?

    What ever happened to the customer is always right? I know the customer isn't always technically right, but its a great attitude to have when you are in an industry with a lot of competition. People can donk off their paychecks anywhere, what makes Cake so f*cking special? Don't you realize that those angry customers are your paycheck?

    In summary, bite me *edit*.

    Cliff notes: Get off your pompous high horse, Lee--and recognize that the customer is not there to kiss your service department's ass. They are calling for help, most likely cause your company f*cked up somehow.
  2. I worked in customer service for years and I have trained a lot of people for customer service jobs. I thought Lee's article was spot on. He didn't say to kiss anyone's ass when you have a complaint or a request. He just said to be decent about it and the service you receive will be better than if you act like an asshole.
  3. /antibrag, but I know with 100% certainty that this is not true:

    My policy at every online company I’ve worked at is this: “If you threaten anybody on this company’s staff, your account is closed. Right now. Permanently.”
  4. why you so mad theadstarter?
  5. The comical(or hypocritical) part of the OP is he complains about Lee being on a "pompous high horse"...yet OP's post is filled with comments that make him look like he is on an even higher horse.

    I chuckled.
  6.  
    Originally Posted by MainEventOrBust View Post

    First off, I actually read some of this *edit* books years ago. Kudos for writing about poker when few people were. (I was taught to always lead with a compliment before criticism).

    Now onto your P5's article, which is on the front page as I write this. Blow me.

    Are you serious? You wrote a guide on how a customer should deal with a Customer Service Rep? Good for you for standing up for your employees, but how dare you put out a written mandate for your loyal customers to follow when they are upset with your company's service.

    I've done service in the past, and understand its a thankless job, and anyone who does CS for a living puts up with a ton of crap for way too little money. That said, just because its a crappy job doesn't mean that customers should always say please and thanks when they are upset. They are calling you for a reason. They are unhappy with the service. If they were in a good mood, they wouldn't call you. How do you not get that?

    What ever happened to the customer is always right? I know the customer isn't always technically right, but its a great attitude to have when you are in an industry with a lot of competition. People can donk off their paychecks anywhere, what makes Cake so f*cking special? Don't you realize that those angry customers are your paycheck?

    In summary, bite me *edit*.

    Cliff notes: Get off your pompous high horse, Lee--and recognize that the customer is not there to kiss your service department's ass. They are calling for help, most likely cause your company f*cked up somehow.

    hey at least he came here with some insight, someone still mad about those birthday cards their dad never sent eh?
  7. it's too bad they didn't just ban you for making this post instead of just moving it to the proper forum.

    if you want to be an asshole to another human being, then by all means, be an asshole to support. but do you expect them to help you if you're an ungrateful piece of shit like you are? nope.

    so my suggestion is quit being a dick and respect people. there. you needed to hear that badly.

    sketchy1 is an instructor at PocketFives Training . To get more of his advice and to watch his training videos, click here.

  8. I don't understand how this gets you upset. If the customer service sucks, go play somewhere else. Not like there is a paucity of other online poker sites that you can log onto and play. If enough players dislike the site's service and move elsewhere, then the site will likely have to shut down. Problem solved. Ultimately the sites that provide the best customer experience will grow and the ones that don't will shrink, so it sorts itself out anyway.
  9.  
    Originally Posted by oBOBCATu View Post

    I don't understand how this gets you upset. If the customer service sucks, go play somewhere else. Not like there is a paucity of other online poker sites that you can log onto and play. If enough players dislike the site's service and move elsewhere, then the site will likely have to shut down. Problem solved. Ultimately the sites that provide the best customer experience will grow and the ones that don't will shrink, so it sorts itself out anyway.

    I'm not even a Cake customer. And I agree with you that many people would ultimately change service providers.

    I just think that anyone who represents a company (poker website, cell provider, retail outlet etc) should think twice before telling customers how to complain, especially by publishing an article on this website.

    If someone is complaining, its because they are upset. Part of providing customer service is recognizing that the customer is upset for a reason, and their anger is often misdirected. Instead of crying about it, find the problem, and fix it to diffuse the situation. For Mr. Jones to publish a manifesto on how to be handled as a customer is nonsensical.
    Thread Starter
  10. "Getting what you want from an Online Poker Site."

    not

    "How to act when dealing with Customer Service."

    This is not a guide...this is how to conduct yourself properly in order to get a quick, polite, speedy response from support. If you are a dick, they will take their sweet ass time. If you do what he SUGGESTS, you will be a lot better off. This is not that hard of a concept.
  11. Holy overreactions, batman! Lee's article is just suggestions about how to get what you want out of support. Its not a mandate, its useful tips on how to not be a douchebag (which might not go amiss in your case imo).

    My summary of Lee Jones' article:

    Be a respectful person to others and they'll be more likely to help you out

    My summary of your OP:

    <object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6DBuk91phkI&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6DBuk91phkI&hl=en&fs=1&" mce_src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6DBuk91phkI&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></object>
  12. He's only giving helpful advice on how to get better service and it applies to a lot more than Cake.

    Hopefully his next article will be on how to get laid because I think it has been a while for you.
  13.  
    Originally Posted by L0bstaM0bsta View Post

    This is not a guide...this is how to conduct yourself properly in order to get a quick, polite, speedy response from support. If you are a dick, they will take their sweet ass time. If you do what he SUGGESTS, you will be a lot better off. This is not that hard of a concept.

    If its not a guide, and instead just common sense as you say, why is there an article on page one?

    I personally never lose sight of the fact that the person on the other end of the phone has a sh*tty job, because as I mentioned--I've had that sh*tty job. But that's not the point--my point is that Customer service should be prepared to deal with upset customers. They are the majority of the people calling in. The customer has the right to be upset, and its assinine to try to take it away from them, especially of your business is not a monopoly.
    Thread Starter
  14. Using common sense, which e-mail is more likely to be responded to quickly and accurately?

    To whom it may concern:

    I recently had an issue cashing a check through your website. I cashed the funds out on 6/6/09 and am yet to receive my check. I am concerned that the transaction has not been properly executed. Thank you for your time.

    or

    hey you fucking POS support faggots!

    im sick and tired of this horseshyt. my fucking cheque isnt in the mail and ive been waiting for fucking weeks.this is bullshit and im sick of this crap. ur site sux and im taken off all my monies as soon as u fix this shitshow. eat my c0ck
  15.  
    Originally Posted by MainEventOrBust View Post

     
    Originally Posted by L0bstaM0bsta View Post

    This is not a guide...this is how to conduct yourself properly in order to get a quick, polite, speedy response from support. If you are a dick, they will take their sweet ass time. If you do what he SUGGESTS, you will be a lot better off. This is not that hard of a concept.

    If its not a guide, and instead just common sense as you say, why is there an article on page one?

    I personally never lose sight of the fact that the person on the other end of the phone has a sh*tty job, because as I mentioned--I've had that sh*tty job. But that's not the point--my point is that Customer service should be prepared to deal with upset customers. They are the majority of the people calling in. The customer has the right to be upset, and its assinine to try to take it away from them, especially of your business is not a monopoly.

    Because to a large group of people, it isn't common sense? So just because it is common sense to you doesn't mean the article was written for you as the target audience? I'm going to assume he knows better than you what kind of emails support gets, thus giving him a reason to speak out on the matter. And I'll take a wild stab in the dark that a LOT of emails the sites receive are written completely against what you claim is common sense for you.

    Hint: Not all articles written on p5's or any site are meant specifically for you as a target audience. High-horseaments on your part to think or infer that they are.
  16. No this is exactly the wrong methodology. Who decides who's being a dick or not, Lee Jones?, or the customer service rep? If you give them the ability to offer less service to people who piss them off what side do you think they will tend to gravitate too?

    Whats consider being a dick? Yelling at the customer service rep swearing? or what about just being direct and demanding your rights as a customer?

    Training customer service people on how to diffuse, calm, and disarm a pissed off customer is one thing, but giving them the right to shut down on a paying customer because they dont like the tone of their voice is completely another and is bad business. I've dropped companies like a bad habit for shitty CS reps (Sprint) and I've been loyal as hell to companies that went above and beyond (Amex). I'll be an Amex customer for life because they have fixed and offered condolences for every major to minor issue I've ever had.

    That type of service breeds loyalty in a customer.

    CS reflects the management of the company and the way that company does business. If CS sucks the company sucks, end of story.
  17.  
    Originally Posted by Spectre333 View Post

    No this is exactly the wrong methodology. Who decides who's being a dick or not, Lee Jones?, or the customer service rep? If you give them the ability to offer less service to people who piss them off what side do you think they will tend to gravitate too?

    Whats consider being a dick? Yelling at the customer service rep swearing? or what about just being direct and demanding your rights as a customer?

    Training customer service people on how to diffuse, calm, and disarm a pissed off customer is one thing, but giving them the right to shut down on a paying customer because they dont like the tone of their voice is completely another and is bad business. I've dropped companies like a bad habit for shitty CS reps (Sprint) and I've been loyal as hell to companies that went above and beyond (Amex). I'll be an Amex customer for life because they have fixed and offered condolences for every major to minor issue I've ever had.

    That type of service breeds loyalty in a customer.

    CS reflects the management of the company and the way that company does business. If CS sucks the company sucks, end of story.

    +1
    Thread Starter
  18. No, but if you want support to answer you in a timely manner, it makes sense to speak sensibly and not say "Like OMG, fix itz Leeeee cuz muh d0g done and gone mad3 muh comp close down"...then the reps have to:

    1.) Pull out a dictionary.

    2.) Decipher what in the hell it is you are trying to say.

    3.) Take a moment to laugh, because someone writing like that...it's tough to take them seriously.

    4.) Have a beer after the headache that email gave them.

    5.) Write an email after deciphering the hyrogliphics said angered customer wrote in.

    6.) Await their response and repeat steps 1-5 when another answer is given, likely with the same type of speech since you can't fix stupid.
  19. He didnt write a guide at all. Just provided some suggestions to get what you want from a online poker site, most of which is common sense to people who were taught manners at the age of 5.

    However, agree it is a dumb article to write.
  20.  
    Originally Posted by timthegem View Post

    I worked in customer service for years and I have trained a lot of people for customer service jobs. I thought Lee's article was spot on. He didn't say to kiss anyone's ass when you have a complaint or a request. He just said to be decent about it and the service you receive will be better than if you act like an asshole.

    very good point

    his article is actually trying to help you make a more effective complaint

    what is wrong with that, other than the fact you can't play stud or stud 8b at Cake and the baby cakes?
  21. agree with what some of OP is saying but my gripe is I found the whole article to be quite patronizing, and yeah it has no place on this site IMO. FWIW Cake support have always been excellent (maybe i've always been writing perfect emails to them).
  22. What most people DO understand is that the Poker site itself is a business. But there is also a business on your end, if you treat it that way. (Which you def. should if you have any hope of making money part time/full time.) This isn't common sense. A lot of poker players havn't come to this realization.

    I've worked as a waiter in 7-8 different restaurants. I'm very experienced, and have come to learn a few things about business in general. I look at my 4-8 table section as a business. If I don't like the conditions that I'm working with, I can take my business elsewhere. i.e. (Work at another, more suitable restaurant.) Maybe you're not capable of making a higher sales average in a certain place...or maybe your philosophy does not line up with those that you work with. Either way, sometimes it's a good idea to move to another place.

    On the other end, they can fire me for whichever reason they like if they feel that my business is affecting their business in a negative way (Which it has. I.E. Mark you smell like pot and you're fired. Or sometimes people just don't get along which quickly lead to arguements stemming from the high stress enviornment, which get out of control and lead to parting ways.)

    If you learn to communicate as a professional, your life is going to be much easier. Learn to not take things personally or take things to a personal level with anybody that you're in business with. If I get fucked out of a $11 SNG on stars, I personally realize that I am one of thousands of players who play these SNG's every day, and that if I have a shot of getting what I want, it's by having a positive attitude and a sense of professionalism when approaching the situation.

    I believe that's all that Lee is trying to say.

    I've worked in Customer Service for 7 years in many a high stress atmosphere. Troubleshooting problems with internet poker does not even come close when comparing itself to face to face matters in the workplace. Things go wrong all day and every day...it's the nature of business. Learn to professionalise when approaching a problem, and your issues will most likely be solved at the speed of light if it's at all possible.

    CLIFF: Prevent bad business practices whenever possible.

    EDIT: lol at somebody comparing customer service from a phone company to a MAJOR CREDIT CARD company. Of course they're going to blow you if you keep charging.
  23.  
    Originally Posted by joeschmo View Post


    He didnt write a guide at all. Just provided some suggestions to get what you want from a online poker site, most of which is common sense to people who were taught manners at the age of 5.

    However, agree it is a dumb article to write.

    100% THIS!!!^^^^^
  24. Did you actually read the article? Honestly, you are the exact type of individual that Mr. Jones is referring to. You should be ashamed that you worked in customer service and still felt compelled to write this wasted post. What Mr. Jones stated was a manuscript for the average poker playing individual to properly articulate a complaint. No, most people don't say please and thank you when they are upset. Have you ever tried it? I can't tell you the amount of times that I have "killed them with kindness" & have received above and beyond what I was asking for from customer service. This is something that you obv have never done. I am so tired of people like you that think they are owed something because they use a service provided by a company to make money. Just so you are aware, the customer is NOT always right. You should take your own advice and remove ALL funds off of poker websites & drag your pompous ass to a brick and mortar if you think you are being so wronged. On behalf of Lee Jones...GFY!!!
  25. i actually appreciated the article. wp lee
  26.  
    Originally Posted by Lord Supremo View Post

    Holy overreactions, batman! Lee's article is just suggestions about how to get what you want out of support. Its not a mandate, its useful tips on how to not be a douchebag (which might not go amiss in your case imo).

    My summary of Lee Jones' article:

    Be a respectful person to others and they'll be more likely to help you out

    My summary of your OP:

    <OBJECT width=425 height=344><PARAM NAME="movie" VALUE="http://www.youtube.com/v/6DBuk91phkI&hl=en&fs=1&"><PARAM NAME="allowFullScreen" VALUE="true"><PARAM NAME="allowscriptaccess" VALUE="always"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6DBuk91phkI&hl=en&fs=1&" mce_src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6DBuk91phkI&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></OBJECT>

    I did this once too...It's just not on youtube thankfully
     
  27. True customer service would provide a phone number. As stated above when someone has a problem and is angry its often misdirected, being able to call someone and deal with a true CS professional would get to the source of the issue, elminate any confusion and clear things up much more quickly.
  28. Is it the same cs for all Cake skins? I am polite to everyone after working in service for too long, but sportsbook cs in the past has made me want to jump off a building and cut my throat on the way down. Don't play there anymore, but at least they were always polite and courteous while jerking me around...
  29. you should not have to write anybody an email for support. they should have a phone with a human that can talk to you. i hate that all computer related companies make you email. i hate to fng type. it takes forever.
  30. LOL, if you think you're really going to have a better chance at getting your way by writing 15 nasty emails cursing out the reps and calling them POS, etc, instead of writing 1 concise, polite email. Then go ahead.

    It sounds like you need a lesson on how to treat people in general if you think beating your chest like a gorilla and screaming and cursing is the best way to get your way.

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