Recently I had an issue with a company (I wanted to apply a discount code to a purchase but the billing form wouldn't recognize it). Being an internet gal, I contacted their customer service via email. They responded back, telling me to talk to the billing department. They gave me a phone number. That phone number was long distance.
Heck no. This was a $10 dispute. If I got put on perma-hold (highly likely), the charges would quickly eat any savings.
I pushed back, asking for an email address. Voila, no charge.
The alternative (a buddy uses this one all the time) is to call the company collect. Very, very rarely will a company refuse to pick up the charges (I've never heard of a case where the company said no but I never say never – you never know).
Costly? Yes and no. For a smaller company, this could be less expensive than the 1-800 number. The toll free numbers cost a company a base amount whether people use it or not.
Comments (2)
I have never thought of calling a company collect. A very interesting idea, and one that I may have to try out in the future.
Posted by Fiscal Musings | March 7, 2008 8:33 AM
Posted on March 7, 2008 08:33
This is a very interesting idea. It is worth while checking the cost of calling companies as some people asume that it is a cheap rate whe it can be very expensive.
Posted by master your card | March 10, 2008 8:02 AM
Posted on March 10, 2008 08:02