06-08-2020 05:27 PM
I have had a particular feature added to my mobile service because I am a long time Telus customer. I just renewed my automatic payment and found this feature was dropped. The only way this feature can be restored is by talking with a real person at Telus mobile service. Unfortunately, this cannot be done via my online Telus account or by the Telus automated telephone service. How can I contact a real person in Telus mobile account to have this feature restored.
I called Telus home service where I was actually able to speak with two different people. The first transferred me to the automated telephone service, she was completely unhelpful. The second person, named Catherine, said she would transfer me to Telus mobile account service. I waited about 5 minutes for someone to answer. The man who pick up the phone initially sound disoriented until I asked if this was Telus mobile service. He said yes, and I asked who I was speaking with. His said his name was Richard. For some reason, I was immediately suspicious. I was asked for and gave my mobile phone number. I was then asked for my pin number, refused to give it and told Richard to ask for other information that was associated with my mobile account. He asked for my address and I gave him my postal code. He asked for my full address and I gave him my street number . Richard said he needed my full address so I reluctantly gave it to him. Something definitely seemed wrong and I asked Richard which department he worked for at Telus. He did not respond immediately and, after about 5 seconds, he said he worked for general service. I asked for his telephone number. He could not immediately provide it, even after my waiting 10-15 seconds - I could hear him typing, as if he was searching for a telephone number. I have never had such unresponsive service from Telus before and something was very wrong. At this point, I hung up.
What I am requesting is very simple. But Telus has not made it impossible for a customer to speak with a live person in its service departments. This is unacceptably poor service. What the hell do I have to do speak with a real person to have a feature restored to my mobile account?
One very pissed off Telus customer,
Ian
06-08-2020 05:49 PM
CORRECTION
But Telus has made it impossible for a customer to speak with a live person in its service departments.
06-08-2020 07:08 PM - edited 06-08-2020 07:08 PM
Your PIN is the number YOU chose with Telus when you set up your account so they could identify you any time you called back. Since you refused to provide that PIN (some folks forget it), they were obligated to ask for other identifying information which you also were reluctant to provide.
I don't understand why you expect a caller claiming to be your account holder should have access to your account without proving who they are. The simplest means to do this is with the secret code number sou shared with them when you set up th account.
06-10-2020 02:08 PM
You are only focused on the PIN number and ignored the rest of my post. A person working for Telus should immediately, without hesitation, be able to state which department they are working in and what their telephone number is. As I stated, something seemed very wrong and so I terminated the call.
06-08-2020 07:42 PM
Have you tried calling *611 from your mobile phone, this should connect you to TELUS mobility.
06-10-2020 02:12 PM
Calling *611 offers the same limited options selections as the automated telephone calls. It is not possible to speak with a real person working at Telus using either the mobile number or the land line number.
06-10-2020 06:22 PM
Calling *611 offers the same limited options selections as the automated telephone calls. It is not possible to speak with a real person working at Telus using either the mobile number or the land line number.
I know the automated system can be frustrating, but it actually saves far more time. If you called *611 and requested to speak to a real agent right away, you would first wait on hold, then have to tell that agent what you are calling about, then most likely the agent will have to transfer you to the right department...which results you having to wait on hold for longer.
I decided to call *611 from my TELUS cellphone and pretend I was yourself calling about the feature that was lost. Here is the dialog with the automated system (it may vary depending on how clear each response is).
Automated System: Hi, thanks for calling TELUS. How can I help you today?
Automated System: Your calling about a feature, is that right?
Automated System: Alright, one more thing, I see you have both mobility and home services. Which one are you calling about?
Automated System: There is a way to change your features by going online to MyTelus. I can send a text message that takes you directly to the right page. Would you like to try that now?
Automated System: Your estimated wait time is X minutes.
Automated System: To secure your account enter your 4-6 digit pin. Don't have a PIN, have your Drivers Licence ready.
At this point the automated system will transfer you to the correct department where you can speak to a real agent.
If you are having trouble reaching a live agent, you can try using the responses above to speak to a real agent.
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06-11-2020 01:25 PM
Hello BrandonT
1) You wrote: "... I would recommend Live Chat by clicking the purple box with 3 dots...".
I do not see this icon on my system for reasons explained next. Only an inexperienced software developer would put this icon in the bottom right corner. I say this because I spent a career designing and developing applications with user interfaces. Here are 5 reasons why:
a) I use Firefox browser and have enabled a tracker extension. Every time I go to a different web site/web page, this tracker extension displays tracking information in a purple notification box which literally hides the Live Chat purple box. I do not see the Live Chat icon. The purple in the tracker information box is exactly the same color as that used for the Telus Live Chat icon. So on my system, the Live Chat icon is hidden behind the tracker notification box. Note, I tried to insert a screen capture illustrating this problem but the option for doing this is not working. The bottom right side of the screen is a common area where many applications post notifications. So it does not make sense for any applications to put icons there.
b) The Telus Contact US page displays options in text on the left side of the page. So the readers attention is immediately drawn to the left side of the page, that is, away from the Live Chat icon in bottom right side of the page. In other words, the Live Chat icon will only appear as a blur in the peripheral vision while the customer is reading/selecting/clicking on the text on the left side of the screen.
c) There are no other icons on the Contact US page so the UI design immediately infers the customer needs to read text and NOT look for an icon.
d) The Live Chat icon will not mean anything to customers not familiar with this icon.
e) The OS on my computer is Win10 and pop-up notifications always appear in the bottom right corner of the screen, exactly where the Telus Live Chat icon is placed. The Win10 notifications are so common that I now ignore them.
2) You wrote, "I know the automated system can be frustrating, but it actually saves far more time".
You have just contradicted yourself and are supporting my point. It saves Telus's time, but wastes the customer's time.
3) You explained how the automated telephone service can be used to speak with a person.
The steps you described are utterly useless. These steps are specifically designed to force the customer to use the automated system and minimize/eliminate the customers efforts to speak with a real person. It forces the customer to waste time 'exploring' all options.
What I am requesting from Telus is simple and trivial. If Telus declines my request then I will have no problem with that. But the hours I have wasted trying to get support on a trivial issue is what really makes me so angry. My opinion is that Telus is attempting to force its customers to use its automated system and to minimize, if not eliminate, customer access to real people offering support.
Ian
06-11-2020 11:35 PM - edited 06-13-2020 12:22 AM
Hi (Ian),
Regarding: Purple live chat button on bottom right corner.
You wrote, (BrandonT) "I know the automated system can be frustrating, but it actually saves far more time".
(I000B - Ian) You have just contradicted yourself and are supporting my point. It saves Telus's time, but wastes the customer's time.
You explained how the automated telephone service can be used to speak with a person.
The steps you described are utterly useless. These steps are specifically designed to force the customer to use the automated system and minimize/eliminate the customers efforts to speak with a real person. It forces the customer to waste time 'exploring' all options.
What I am requesting from Telus is simple and trivial. If Telus declined my request then I will have no problem with that. But the hours I have wasted trying to get support on a trivial issue is what really makes me so angry. My opinion is that Telus is attempting to force its customers to use its automated system and to minimize, if not eliminate, customer access to real people offering support.
Hopefully I was able to address your input, and concerns, and provide you with a solution based on your needs.
TELUS Employee & Neighbourhood Volunteer :black_small_square: Found this post helpful? Let others know by clicking [❤️ Like] or [Accepted Solution].
06-13-2020 04:09 PM
1) The simplest solution is to replace the Live Chat icon with "Live Chat" text. Put this text above "Telus forums" on the Contact Us web page.
2) You wrote, "Here are some possible solutions..."
Now that I know where and how to find the Live Chat icon, there is no need to test/try/use most of your suggestions.
3) On the Telus Contact Us web page, there is no option to email a request for support. BTW, I do not use Twitter nor should I be forced to use Twitter just to obtain service. Nor would I go to a Telus store (a useless suggestion during a lockdown) to resolve such a trivial matter (which, a store employee likely does not have the authority to resolve).
4) You wrote, "Benefits to the Customer..."
a) "Customers get to speak to real agents faster...". My experience refutes this claim.
b) "These hundreds of employees can now be trained..." This is false. Telus simply cuts back on the number of people it hires and, like all other companies, replaces people with automates systems.
c) The rest of the alleged benefits you cite (e.g. a callback) are hidden so that the customer is not even aware of them - if indeed they actually exist.
5) I will not comment on the remainder of your post. You are simply regurgitating nonsense you were trained to parrot. The virtual assistant is designed for one purpose only - to save Telus time and money by replacing people with automated systems. The primary purpose of the virtual assistant is not for the customers benefit.
I have nothing more to say on this matter. I am not requesting or expecting you to respond to it.
An angry customer
Ian
06-14-2020 01:15 AM
I have nothing more to say on this matter. I am not requesting or expecting you to respond to it.
1) The simplest solution is to replace the Live Chat icon with "Live Chat" text. Put this text above "Telus forums" on the Contact Us web page.
2) You wrote, (BrandonT) "Here are some possible solutions..."
(l000B) Now that I know where and how to find the Live Chat icon, there is no need to test/try/use most of your suggestions.
3) On the Telus Contact Us web page, there is no option to email a request for support.
BTW, I do not use Twitter nor should I be forced to use Twitter just to obtain service. Nor would I go to a Telus store (a useless suggestion during a lockdown) to resolve such a trivial matter (which, a store employee likely does not have the authority to resolve).
a) "Customers get to speak to real agents faster...". My experience refutes this claim.
b) "These hundreds of employees can now be trained..." This is false. Telus simply cuts back on the number of people it hires and, like all other companies, replaces people with automates systems.
c) The rest of the alleged benefits you cite (e.g. a callback) are hidden so that the customer is not even aware of them - if indeed they actually exist.
The virtual assistant is designed for one purpose only - to save Telus time and money by replacing people with automated systems. The primary purpose of the virtual assistant is not for the customers benefit.
I'm sorry I was unable to assist you find a solution, however I am hopeful that others who come across this thread may find parts of it beneficial. If you still need to contact TELUS, there are additional options to choose from in this reply (if you find them beneficial), otherwise I open this topic to anyone else who may be able to provide a helpful solution. I wish you the best, and hope your issue gets resolved with the least amount of inconveniences.
TELUS Employee & Neighbourhood Volunteer :black_small_square: Found this post helpful? Let others know by clicking [❤️ Like] or [Accepted Solution].
06-13-2020 09:52 PM
A great idea. Wish I thought of it. Oh, I did. And I called and called and called, each time selecting different options, each time getting the "Our customers matter" recording followed by a call termination. Rotten, horrible service. Oh, wait, there was no service. So, I drove to a telus store. They could only sell me stuff, not help me.
06-10-2020 05:56 PM
Hi @I000B (Ian),
I am sorry you have had a poor experience with TELUS support. Without taking away or minimizing how you feel, I would like to provide more context which may allow you to see why it was not an excellent experience. Hopefully that helps provide some more context to the concerns you have. I have typed this in a friendly tone (which may be hard to interoperate just by reading this text). I genuinely would like to help make your experience better in the future.
You are only focused on the PIN number and ignored the rest of my post.
How can I contact a real person in Telus mobile account to have this feature restored?
I called Telus home service where I was actually able to speak with two different people. The first transferred me to the automated telephone service, she was completely unhelpful. The second person, named Catherine, said she would transfer me to Telus mobile account service. I waited about 5 minutes for someone to answer.
I was asked for and gave my mobile phone number.
TELUS Employee & Neighbourhood Volunteer :black_small_square: Found this post helpful? Let others know by clicking [❤️ Like] or [Accepted Solution].
06-10-2020 05:57 PM
I was then asked for my pin number, refused to give it.
Told Richard to ask for other information that was associated with my mobile account. He asked for my address and I gave him my postal code. He asked for my full address and I gave him my street number . Richard said he needed my full address so I reluctantly gave it to him.
TELUS Employee & Neighbourhood Volunteer :black_small_square: Found this post helpful? Let others know by clicking [❤️ Like] or [Accepted Solution].
06-13-2020 09:49 PM
Agreed! You can add services but not remove them. There's no one to contact. Their Support is laughable. Given the price people pay for connectivity in Canada, they deliver (nice word) substandard support.
I'm going to move to another provider, who hopefully has better support and a more intuitive interface.
06-14-2020 03:05 AM - edited 06-14-2020 06:40 AM
Hi @Loathe ,
Sorry you too have had a poor experience with TELUS customer service. I hope I can provide you with more context to the reason of your dropped call, and some solutions to resolve your concerns in the quickest way possible.
I would recommend TELUS Live Chat Support for this type of request.
Less wait times...and no hold music!
Alternatively you can request a call back or email reply
Depending on how many customers choose this option, there may be longer delays.
TELUS Employee & Neighbourhood Volunteer :black_small_square: Found this post helpful? Let others know by clicking [❤️ Like] or [Accepted Solution].
06-14-2020 06:46 AM
If interested, here are some cost saving tips, likely reason the call dropped, and information about different types of TELUS stores to ensure you visit the right one based on your specific needs.
You can add services but not remove them.
I called and called and called, each time selecting different options, each time getting the "Our customers matter" recording followed by a call termination.
Given the price people pay for connectivity in Canada, they deliver (nice word) substandard support.
I drove to a telus store. They could only sell me stuff
I'm going to move to another provider, who hopefully has better support and a more intuitive interface.
TELUS Employee & Neighbourhood Volunteer :black_small_square: Found this post helpful? Let others know by clicking [❤️ Like] or [Accepted Solution].