So are Customer Support and GM's responses to help requests always:

prionfawkes

Response Via Email (Support Staff 35) 06/21/2013 04:52 PM
Hello

Unfortunately, we do not have the ability <insert frustrating issues you need help with here>. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

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Perfect World Support
Check out our latest game, Neverwinter!

If so, why even have CS and GMs? Every single issue I've tried to have resolved, has received the same patent responses.

azlanfox

CS and GMs are the lowest common denominator in both intelligence and initiative. There are also so many problems that they are swamped in requests in such a fashion that all support channels are paralyzed.

cureforhumanity

I'd get fired from my job so fast if I ever said that to even one customer.

imivo

azlanfox wrote: »

CS and GMs are the lowest common denominator in both intelligence and initiative. There are also so many problems that they are swamped in requests in such a fashion that all support channels are paralyzed.

This has nothing to do with intelligence. When you're working in customer support, you follow the company's policies. The higher up you are, the more freedom (which is experienced by the customer as initiative) you have to stray form the beaten track of "how things are done". Making exceptions also sets examples, which opens a whole new can of slippery worms. You do something for one person, twenty others will expect you do it for them, as well, which you may not have the resources for.

It is true that sometimes customer service reps (regardless of the company) will not do as much as they could and instead blow you off. Often, that is a result of an impolite approach; sometimes, it is lack of interest (and those will rarely find themselves getting promoted, because it's indicative of a certain mindset). But frequently it is simply a lack of authority. (Which is why I prefer working for smaller companies where there is no rigid structure and you can actually go that extra mile for a customer.)

I say this in spite of having just been blown off by PWE's customer support.

prionfawkes

All good points. And just to provide a bit of background, I worked in and eventually became the Lead Analyst of a Support group that was responsible for Tier 1 and 2 support for a company with 1500 employees. I did that for five years before moving over to server administration and doing Tier 3 support. I will admit it was nice to get off the phones and dealing with customers on a daily basis, but regardless of how burnt out I became I still went out of my way to help everyone who came to me needing assistance.

I totally understand the limitations set for Tier 1 and 2, and the practice of pushing back on a customer to see if they'll just accept the canned response and move on. But if someone comes back and says, "that solution is unacceptable." I would make sure their issue got in front of the right people and that those people did all they could do to make the customer happy.

So far, in my experience, there is no point to having Support for NW because not once have they ever been able to resolve a single issue I've reported.

I guess this falls under the rule of "You Get What You Pay For".