The problem started when I bought the Groupon and called that same day (9/27) to make an appointment. I understand that Groupons can't be redeemed right away, but I figured that I could make an appointment for the future. Instead, the man who answered the phone -- who sounded wholly indifferent to providing any customer service whatsoever -- said that I had to wait until the next day to make an appointment. He said they were waiting to get a list from buyers from Groupon first.
Did he offer to take my phone number and call me back the next day? No.
Did he ask for my Groupon code, which would have given some indication that I was an actual buyer? No.
I called the next day (9/28) and left a message. Bryan called me back. I don't know if he was the same man I spoke to the previous day, but he had the same less-than-helpful attitude. I set up an appointment for October 11, which was the earliest one I could get. Then he asked for my Groupon code, but due to computer problems on my end, I couldn't tell it to him right away.
I emailed the Groupon code to Bryan the next day (9/29). Later that day, I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email saying there had been a cancellation and would I like to move my appointment up to tomorrow (9/30) at 1 PM. I readily agree. About an hour and half later (12:26 PM), I receive another email saying that the opening is actually at 9:30 AM, not 1 PM, and would that still work for me. I didn't immediately read this email (I was out), and I ended up replying at 4:43 PM saying the new time was fine. I didn't receive a reply that day.
Today it is 9/30, and I am getting the house ready for the maids to arrive at 9:30 AM. As far as I know, everything is on schedule. I finally check my email around 9 AM, and I see a terse email saying the 9:30 AM slot was filled and my appointment has reverted back to October 11th.
Right after reading that, I got a call from Michael at Keep It Green. He was calling to verify that I received the email. I asked him about my slot going to someone else, and he said it was because I didn't reply to the 12:26 PM email right away. Apparently they contacted several people about the 9:30 AM slot, and someone else replied first. Nothing in the email said that I had a deadline by which to reply, nor did Keep It Green try to call me on 9/29 about the changed time.
Needless to say, I was not happy about the poor communication and last-minute changes. When I asked Michael if he could understand my frustration about by being yanked around multiple times, he said yes. That's it. Just "yes" -- no effort to apologize or make the situation better.
He then asked if I still wanted the October 11th appointment. I said that I was planning to contact Groupon to ask for a refund. Again, Michael made NO EFFORT to provide anything resembling customer service. He said to let him know about the appointment, and that was it. End of call.
I am appalled by this company's attitude. Maybe their cleaning staff deserves positive reviews, but their office staff does NOT.
EDITED TO ADD (10/19/10): Bryan's response below has the customer service attitude that I was looking for, and I appreciate his apology and effort to conciliate. It's an admirable reaction to a poor review. Unfortunately, it's hard for me to see it as anything more than PR fluff when no one has contacted me directly to try to make things right.
I'm glad you believe that excellent customer service is vital, Bryan. I suggest that you deliver this service to the customer, not the customer's review. read more