There are two major mobile network provider here in the Philippines, Globe and Smart. Other minor telecom companies are actually under these two giants so your choices are limited to this two competing networks. So if you have issues with the other one then you can shift to the other one but the problem is if you have problem with these two companies. In the Philippines, you are stuck to these two services for “almost forever.” I don’t know if the government is still IN with the National Broadband project with the DICT secretary already resigned. I hope they continue with their plans so that there’s a 3rd player in this field and I hope they do the right thing without the influence of these giants.
It’s been years that I shifted to Globe’s service since the NOTE 4 incident with SMART when the latter didn’t gave me an option to re-contract my subscription to them when I was so into NOTE 4 that time so I get the device from Globe easily without the hassle and from then I shifted to this company despite a lot of my friends are using Smart’s unlimited text and call features.
The Good Old Customer Service
I like how the Globe customer services are replying to your queries. From their hotline to their Twitter account @talktoGlobe. They are courteous, helpful and fast in replying. But the problem came when I contacted them to apply for an upgrade / re-contract of my plan and decided to get their Samsung Galaxy NOTE 8 offer. I compare it with Smart’s Note 8 offer and I think their offer is much better and I don’t want to change my number back to Smart so I decided to get the device from Globe. Specially with the plan there’s a 6-months free NETFLIX subscription and features a 24-month installment cash out plan using a VISA / Mastercard.
The Infinite Loop Customer Service
So, I contacted someone from the local Globe store and inquire about it and told me that there’s no stock available and pricing yet for this device and she’ll just call me if its already available (so no definite or specific time to expect it). I told her that the price is already specified in the website and they are accepting VISA cards for the cash out.
I asked her if I need to apply at the store or just wait. She replied that I can call the hotline and said that its much faster compared to waiting for their main office to send the device. So I called the hotline that is specified in the promo page of Note 8 on Globe’s website.
I inquire about the plan and much to my surprise the customer service told me that Globe is not accepting BDO Visa cards for the said plan and only accepts BPI , PNB Visa cards for installment plan. They told me that my card can be accepted if the mode is straight payment. But I said to them that it is not specified in your website and the accredited cards that are accepted should be specified in the page so that subscribers will know if their cards can be accepted.
I informed to my contact at the Globe store about the conversation and she said that I can ask to the hotline if the cash out can be charged to bill instead of paying it outright. She said that it can be done and its much faster if I call the hotline again. So that’s what I did but prior to that I twitted @talktoGlobe and asked about the BDO Visa installment issue on Globe’s plan and I was informed that Globe doesn’t have issue with type of credit card and it can be used for the said installment plan. It’s different from what the customer service told me and I’m beginning to be annoyed by this inconsistencies and I’m feeling that I’m just wasting time. Still, I confirmed this by calling the Globe hotline again.
They Just Don’t Care!
This is when things get interesting. When I call the hotline again, the customer service told me that I should go to the Globe store regarding my concern on NOTE 8. She said that they can serve me much better compared to calling the hotline. But I told her that your website is saying that I can call your hotline to apply for the said plan but she insisted that I visit the Globe Store instead. I know that she got no idea about my first call and does not know the answer about the BDO Visa concern so I decided to end the call and texted my contact at the Globe Store.
The Ending: The CS Just Spend My Time
I told her my experience about applying for the Note 8 device via the hotline and she still insisted that is better that I apply via hotline compared to waiting for her call. So which is which? The hotline told me that I better talk to someone at the Globe store. The website and the store told me that I better apply via their hotline and its much faster. So I felt that I was pushed back and forth and doesn’t felt that “customer is important” feel so I just informed her that I will just get a NOTE 8 via Samsung Store instead!
Conclusion: Globe’s Customer Service Inconsistencies
With this experience I realized that Globe is using a customer service system that doesn’t have a “centralized system” that contains the log of calls and concerns. There website is telling you to call their hotline for availing the plan but their customer service hotline specified in the site doesn’t know the full detail about it. Globe’s CS have different answers regarding your concern and in the end you are left much more puzzled and confused. And it seems that they don’t know about the details about your previous call.
It’s not a good feeling for old subscribers like me. I felt that I am not important to Globe and taken for granted!
Sorry for the long post and if you are still reading this well, just ‘WOW!’ what can I say you’re a “reader.” If you have experience the same or much worst with the Globe’s customer service, feel free to add your comments below. I would love to read it!.
Peace! \m/