A little over a week ago, our US cell phone numbers stopped working here in Uganda. The lines were still on, we were able to access data and send and receive texts. But outbound calls connected to a recording of a very nice Ugandan woman inviting us to try again later. Incoming calls never rang to us but sounded, to the caller, like a phone was put down at a very large, noisy cocktail party and left there.
Making and receiving calls on our US lines is important. Not all of our relatives are on WhatsApp and Scott regularly receives client calls on his US cell number, so Scott contacted T-Mobile.
3 separate times. Over about a week. Close to 8 hours on various chats and one phone call with T-Mobile. Initially, the problem was that the cell tower near our house was being upgraded (not true) but also that the Uganda cell network was very spotty and unreliable just now (nope). The next representative indicated that it was a problem with “international roaming” because we “spend too much time out of the US” (no) and that we should just buy a local SIM card (already have it) and just use that (um, why are we paying for T-Mobile then?).
Eventually Scott spoke to a very knowledgeable lady, somewhere in the world, who was actually getting somewhere with our problem. When the call dropped. And she never called back.
Scott is a “small government” kind of guy but unleashed the full power of the US of A. He made a Federal Trade Commission claim (because we were not getting what we paid for) and a Federal Communications Commission claim (because a communication provider failed to provide … communications.)
Yesterday, Scott received an email from a “Senior Specialist, Executive Response Team” at T-Mobile. She referenced the FTC complaint, included her e-mail and cell number and outlined exactly when, this next week, he could find her at the office. She seemed refreshingly motivated to solve our problem.
Going up the chain of command to get an answer has an actual name in the US business world -- Corporate Escalation. It is a perfect term and a wonderful thing.
Dealing with companies and issues in the US is a challenge but, if all else fails, you can usually go into the store, e-mail or call the corporate office or find an online “feedback form.” Because you are near the same time zone, catching folks at the office is easier. Not so halfway across the world.
For example, when we moved to Kenya in 2008, our family e-mail stopped working. Back then, international phone calls were expensive and email was the only real way to keep in touch. There was no “help” line or live customer service option and we couldn’t e-mail for help because … my email didn’t work. Lengthy internet searches over weeks provided no answers.
Finally, we went “full 1950s” and called the main Microsoft switchboard. We briefly explained the problem to the woman on the phone and she said, “it sounds like you need Corporate Escalation – let me put you through.”
Our e-mail was working within 6 hours.
Much of our time in Uganda, and Rwanda, is devoted to attempts to “GSD,” which stands for “Get Stuff Done (Scott uses a different second word). When necessary, he contacts CEOs, high-level government ministers or – his favorite -- VPs Of Customer Satisfaction. Sometimes companies and governments are foolish enough to publish the phone numbers and e-mails for these folks online. Often you have to dig a little. We have e-mailed airline CEOs and corporate counsel to get money refunded for cancelled flights. We have e-mailed bank CEOs. Scott has spoken with travel company VPs and lead lawyers at major US universities. We never ask for “freebies” and often turn down free meals or complimentary services. To Scott, Corporate Escalation isn’t about “free stuff,” it is getting what we paid for and ensuring that the company knows that they have a problem that they should be able to fix. We also like to thank the actual person who takes the time to listen and fix the problem.
Maybe the best example, ever, of a Corporate Escalation was in 1999 when a Northwest Airlines flight was stuck on a runway for 7 hours. The incident actually led to revised FAA rules that bar airlines from unnecessarily keeping people on planes, without sufficient food, water and sanitation.
One of the folks stuck on that Northwest Airlines flight in 1999 was a lawyer, a fairly obnoxious one apparently. When neither he nor any of the other passengers could get a straight answer from the flight crew about their situation, the lawyer opened the in-flight magazine and found the name of the airline CEO. He then called “directory assistance” in some of the wealthier suburbs around the corporate headquarters for the airline and found a home phone number for the CEO. So, he called him. From the stuck plane on the runway.
The CEO wasn’t home, but his wife was. The lawyer informed her, “Can you tell him that he has a plane full of angry, tired, hungry customers who need his help?” After 7 hours on the tarmac, one quick phone call to the right person triggered a trip back to the gate and the plane was emptied within 30 minutes. You can read more about it here:
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard Scott say, “Good morning/evening, my name is Scott Leist. I’m actually calling you from Africa and I need some help.” If the person on the other end can’t (or won’t) quickly help fix the problem, Scott says, “thank you, it sounds like this isn’t something that you can help fix, please transfer me to the person who can.” He doesn’t take no for an answer.
The good news? Scott may not even need to chat with “Senior Specialist, Executive Response Team” because within about 18 hours of his FTC and FCC complaints, our phones miraculously started working again.
Dear Sir or Madam:
I should like to apologize for your recent cellular phone episode. In truth, it was my wife Nancy who, after chatting for some time on a call with Mrs. Leist, inadvertently put her phone down at yet another of her quite frequent "very large, noisy cocktail parties" she frequently attends and left it there. After yet another cocktail part ruckus (CPR), she was later picked up and taken home by her devoted husband, who removed the lampshade on her head before tucking her in his car. This is a regular and rather embarrassing situation in our family. Her phone was retrieved from the scene of the party about the same time your service was restored…
When in doubt, escalate! Sorry to hear you had so many issues with a tool we rely on and use every day. Hopefully, they'll keep your name, so when you call with another issue, (and there will be), they'll know to just fix it. It always mystifies me why companies, who have the ability to fix something, try to get you to go away if the easy things won't work, or try to blow you off with misinformation, just to get off the phone. Would it make sense for large corporations to have a small department that deals with such situations, and keeps a library of the fixes, so others can easily see the path to getting it done. It'…