Customer Harassment

As I reported earlier in the month, I was having trouble with Kwik-Fit. A letter came today.

Dear Mr Frieze,

Further to your recent telephone conversation with Sandra Doyle, we write to confirm that we have removed your telephone number from our automatic dialling system. Unfortunately, we are unable to produce a log of the number of times we have called.

Should you have any further queries, in relation to this, or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact us on the above customer care number, as one of our consultants will be happy to assist.

Yours sincerely,

Laura Roche
Customer Services Business Manager

So, Kwik-Fit, whose take line is Our Aim is 100% Customer ~~Satisfaction~~ Delight [sic], think that their letter is a fitting end to my query about being harassed by their telephone system. I see. I also see that my four-word-titled correspondent has trouble with tense and commas.

Laura Roche
Customer Services Business Manager
Kwik-Fit Insurance Services
PO Box 007
Glasgow
G71 5PU

Dear Laura Roche,

Client Ref: 207862
Your Ref: SD/LR/GW/BAU

Thank you for your letter, dated 10th May 2001. I am pleased to read that my telephone number has been removed from your system. Unfortunately, I am less than pleased with the outcome of this situation. As I explained to your colleague, we have been suffering what amounts to nuisance telephone calls. The telephone rings, we answer it to an empty line, after fifteen seconds either the call is dropped or a Kwik-Fit staff member is on the other end, asking my partner where I am, which is usually at work in the middle of a week-day.

This phenomenon ceased after you removed our number from your systems last week. So I must assume that the calls have all been your responsibility. Last year, the quantity of unexplained calls prompted me to involve the Telewest nuisance call centre. The fact that dialling 1471 after our mystery calls yielded number withheld added to our concerns. Your call centre calls come through as number withheld also.

As I stated, I am neither satisfied nor delighted by the outcome of my enquiries and so I would like to ask you to answer some direct questions for me.

What business did your staff have ringing my home number in the middle of the day?
Why would your staff not take my work number from my partner and call me there?
Why did your staff insist on scheduling an evening call after their questions were answered by my partner?
Why did these evening calls either not happen or consist of a dead line?
What is wrong with your phone system that causes me these empty-line telephone calls?
Does your phone system keep logs of every call that you make?

Finally, Kwik-Fit has caused much unnecessary inconvenience and worry to me and my partner; what are you planning to do to make amends? Would you like to apologise? I notice that you letter did not mention any contrition on your part. Do you think that this situation is, in fact, my fault?

I look forward to your comments on this and any other matter you would care to mention.

Yours sincerely,

Ashley Frieze.