[New York Diary] Please Give Me My Money Back

A Frustrating Customer Service Experience in the United States
Endless Loops Between Companies and Credit Card Providers
AI Chatbots Replace Human Agents, Making Resolution Harder
When Poor Service Destroys Customer Trust

One of the most frustrating things for most Koreans living in the United States is undoubtedly customer service (CS). Last year, canceling cable TV service took over an hour, including time spent on calls with the CS call center. However, when I went to the store about ten days later to return the equipment, the service had not actually been canceled. To make matters worse, since the month had changed in the meantime, I was told that part of the fee was still charged. When I hurriedly explained that I had requested cancellation last month, the response was, "We can cancel it right here and now. But (to reverse the charged fees) date backup is only possible 'by phone'." Not wanting to pick up the phone and wait again, I just gave up on that money.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Recently, I also reached the limits of my patience. I discovered late that about $259 had been charged without authorization on my personal credit card under the name of an e-commerce company, Company A. Since this was the first time I had experienced such a thing, I filed a dispute request with the credit card company. After going through an AI chatbot, the representative I finally connected with said, "This appears to be a legitimate charge," and told me to contact Company A.

However, connecting with Company A was not easy. After a long wait, the representative I finally reached said they would check a few things and then transfer me to another department. This cycle repeated through 7 to 8 representatives, and the conclusion was always, "Contact the credit card company." After about two hours of chatting, someone who seemed to be a person in charge finally sent a lengthy apology and said, "Don't worry. We will send an email regarding the dispute within 48 hours." I thought the issue was resolved, albeit after a long time.

In the end, I never received an email from Company A. Instead, I got a message from the credit card company telling me to contact Company A again. I contacted Company A once more and repeated the same procedure for over two and a half hours. The responses were in the same order: contact the credit card company, and soon an email will be sent. Of course, no email came again. After going back and forth between the credit card company and Company A's CS five times over about three weeks, I finally received a refund of $259.

In fact, such episodes are not unusual in the United States. In the famous American sitcom "Friends," there is an episode where Phoebe spends a long time on the phone trying to reach a CS representative. Phoebe’s image, waiting until exhausted while only hearing the automated voice saying she will be connected soon, is considered a typical episode reflecting what many Americans often experience.

Personally, I also feel that connecting with CS representatives has become even more difficult since the pandemic. Even when calling the main number, the immediate response is from an artificial intelligence (AI) representative. To speak or chat with a 'human' representative, you have to go through many automated options. It feels like companies are actively trying to replace human agents with AI as much as possible. Local media have explained that many companies closed CS centers or conducted large-scale layoffs during the pandemic, interpreting this as a cost-cutting measure rather than a technological advancement.

Replacing CS with AI chatbots and reducing staff will certainly help corporate profitability. But questions remain. The reason CS is important is because it concerns customer trust. If the quality of CS deteriorates to the point that customer trust worsens, what will be the cost? I canceled the internet service of that cable company as well. I have no intention of using Company A again.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.