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Always get a name and document the call, and if you're not getting anywhere, demand a supervisor/manager. Then dispute the charge in writing, send any documentation you have of what was actually ordered and threaten to report them to the BBB. If the charge went directly onto a credit card, dispute it with the credit card company.

That's my 2 cents from years of dealing with a certain large monopolistic cable provider, anyway...

There's a website trying to increase the standard of phone customer service, at http://gethuman.com/

They provide a list of companies with phone numbers and tell you how to get a live human on the phone fastest, through dialing extensions, etc. It also rates customer service by various companies. Lots of useful info on there, but DirecTV has been notoriously hard for a friend of mine to get through to and deal with.

Any time I've asked for a manager, I get put on never ending hold. I think they must forward the call to a phone in a closet or something...

consumerist.com

Read up on similiar problems or search for a specific company and see what has worked for other people.

that would be: http://consumerist.com/ of course :)

(...hoping the link works this time)

ditto on consumerist.
they have great resources and lots of fun schadenfreud-filled stories about just about any consumer experience you can think of.

I try not to do business with companies that have really awful customer service--Verizon, for example. HEINOUS HEINOUS customer service.

I find that, most of the time, customer service really depends on the actual person you're dealing with. The same is true with technical support. If I feel like the person on the other end either a.) isn't being helpful/doesn't give a crap or b.) doesn't actually KNOW what they're talking about, I wait for a prime opportunity (like being put on hold) to hang up and call back to try a different service representative.

I rarely do that, but when I switched my cellphone service from T-Mobile to Sprint (my work pays for my Sprint phone, that's the only reason I switched) I had to talk to about 5 or 6 different representatives before I could get anything accomplished.
The last person I spoke to tried to tell me that it would take 5-7 business days to get my old number ported over to my Sprint phone. When I told her that it was 2008 and that it really only took a matter of minutes to actually port a number, she admitted that she didn't know anymore than what her computer screen was telling her and that she had put a rush emergency notice on my account and that someone who could actually help me would contact me within the hour. And lo and behold, someone from Sprint called me in the next 45 minutes and informed me that they had successfully ported my number. Sometimes you just have to stand your ground and call BS on their ignorance... even if you're not entirely sure if they're BSing you or not. :)

Dig around in consumerist, they have a wealth of tips and tricks. They are also a good source to see if this is a common problem with this vendor....Dont give up!

Ira Glass did a piece for "This American Life" about the same subject. He finally got results by telling the people on the phone that he was recording the conversation for a radio show. It still took a while, if I remember, but he got what he wanted.

everyone else has good points, especially about documentation. I will add that I always start by writing down what *I* want out of this mess. It gives me a solid goal and it's harder to fold in the "Get me off of this PHONE" mood if your unfulfilled goal is staring at you accusingly from the paper.

I have actually run into the problem before (I think it was with UPS) when I asked a customer service agent for their name and information and I had them deliberately give me the wrong information. when I finally was able to talk to a supervisor, they apologized profusely and told me to ask never for the name but for the employee identification number and location code.

i work in a small business in customer service, and the first thing i'm going to tell you is: deal with small business! they're much more willing to admit mistakes, and often have the authority to correct it right away rather than going through miles of red tape.

second of all, even if you're mad, take the time to calm down before you call. chances are, the person you're dealing with didn't make the mistake to begin with and they're having to pick up the pieces. being polite to them will only get you farther. i've had some awful things said to me over money, even small amounts.

third, please understand that a company is a company. you are not the only customer, and sometimes there are people in line before you that are "demanding" to be taken care of, as well. management is not always available at any given, even if you are getting an unsatisfactory experience.

also remember: most any mistake can be reversed, but if you're rude, a bad representative can make it very difficult.

that's my shpiel for today!

When I had issues with Charter charging me more to move my service to a new house then they'd charge a new customer (and a new customer would pay half as much per month plus got free movie/dinner something or other), I called the new customer line instead of existing customer line. I had the rep tell me everything the new customer got and then explained I was not paying more as an existing customer then a new customer paid. They could either take several charges off my bill or they could close my account.

She ended up reversing all the charges, gave me a great deal on my internet, found that they'd been billing me wrong for quite a while and gave me a refund on that as well. It was way better then trying to deal with customer service for existing customers

When it comes to billing issues, failure to perform and a whole slew of other fraudulent business practices, you can file a complaint with the State Attorney General. They're magic! While living in Boston, my Vespa-like scooter was stolen. I had theft insurance, but my agent said my policy wouldn't be honored. The underwriter said just the opposite. Lots of he/said, she said. I sent a letter to the MA AG and less than one month later, I had my money and the agent was fined up the wazoo. Sometimes just mentioning that you're going to file a complaint with the AG makes people poo their pants and do the right thing. I've used this "gentle reminder" with several businesses with great success. The BBB can't do much, but the AG can make their lives miserable.

:)

i work at a customer service call center so i felt that maybe i should put some advise on here. believe me, the customer service reps usually want to help you as quickly as you want to be helped.
first of all try and stay polite the whole conversation, if you get rude with the customer service rep eventually they will just kind of shut down and stop listening.
alot of the time customer service reps aren't allowed to make more than a certain amount of credit on an account so for something like 200.00 just immediately ask for a supervisor, they'll try and talk you out of it, but stick to your guns, remain polite and explain that you just want a supervisor. if you're calling during a busy time of the day sometimes it can take forever to get a supervisor (hence the "transferred to a phone in a closet" feeling)
always always save your bills, stuff happens and sometimes companies lose a payment, if you have documentation proving that you made that payment you're basicaly a fax away from reimbursement.
alot of companies either do outsourcing or third party contracts (which basically means that the customer service reps are owned by the company itself resulting in poorer customer service) seeing as how this is the case i would highly agree with an earlier comment that advised to go with smaller companies. anytime you can do this, do. you are dealing with people who live within your community, and you have a more personal customer service.
and last but definetly not least, if all else fails ask to be transferred to the cancellations dept. i would say this is a fairly well known secret, but if you threaten to cancell your service the cancellations dept will usually cut you a deal on your service.
hope this was helpful

when i mentioned the third party contracting i said that the customer service reps are employed by the company itself, i meant to say are not. they're employed by a call center.