Should I Enter the Lottery

· 452 words · 3 minute read

I dread customer service calls. They are almost universally terrible. Today I had two calls with customer service lines. The first was from my former electric company Reliant. The second was to my mortgage company.

The first call was a surprise, and I almost didn’t answer it. The only reason I did was that it could have been work-related and I get in big trouble if I miss those. A week or so ago I got an email survey from Reliant because I had ended service with them. I noted that I absolutely loved their customer service, except for the hassle with terminated service. When the buyer of my home moved in they started new electric service which immediately terminated my service with Reliant. Reliant added an early termination fee to my account. You see, when I started service I signed up for a cheaper plan with a 3-year contract, because if I moved for military reasons I could get out of the contract. I called and they explained I just needed to prove that I had moved, which was frustrating to me since I at that time had no actual proof I had moved since I’m currently living in a short-term rental. Anyway, today a customer support rep called to follow up on my survey. That in itself was shocking because I figured my response would never be looked at. She also said that they had already resolved the investigation and cleared the charge and were looking into better processes for circumstances like mine. What an amazing thing to hear. Even if it was just platitudes, very few companies are even willing to pretend they have room to improve.

The second call was to my mortgage company. I have an insurance claim open for roof damage, and until the insurance company gets proof that I no longer have the mortgage I have to have the mortgage company sign any checks they send out. Since the mortgage company’s process includes a fair amount of paperwork and mailing things and potentially inspections, I would rather avoid that road. I called the mortgage company to see if I could get a release of lien letter, which is proof that I no longer have a mortgage. The agent said the letter should get mailed out automatically, but then submitted a request for an email anyway to make sure I got it as soon as possible. She then also let me know that I had a check in the mail for an escrow refund, which I hadn’t even thought to ask about.

Two support calls. Two delightful support agents. Two extremely positive outcomes. Maybe I should buy into the lottery because I am definitely lucky today!

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