Wo(man's) Best friend - a cross corporate encounter

Thank you, Gaetano Di Falco

Recently My Fido cel phone was disconnected because I was $66. in arrears. I wrote a letter to FIDO: addressing it to their sponsorship e mail address. I have asked the permission of the fido representative who contacted me if I could share our dialogue. It was a reinforcement for me that when you reach out to a human being you can bypass the corporate consciencelessness and find humanity.


TO: FIDO
This was the only email address I could obtain from your site. Please forward
to:
René Bousquet
Senior Vice-President (Rogers) and President, Fido

Fadel Chbihna
Vice-President, Customer Relations and Operations

Steven Picco
Vice-President, Sales

Karim Salabi
Vice-President, Marketing


I was one of the first Fido customer. I liked your style way back when, because you see I am a Canadian artist. I act , write, am what they call a ‘kitchen table’ producer. Small potatoes..but a solid and loyal customer for oh these many years.
Some years ago, I cancelled the phone when at that time your rep was mean-spirited and unhelpful. Your head office decently waived my bill and reinstated me at no charge, and even with a free month of service..how could i not love (wo)man's best friend.
Most recently $66. was owing on my account, as I say of long-standing . My phone service was discontinued, without notice when I was expecting a call from a make up artist re a week-end film shoot and she is told the cellular customer is NOT available. At some point we manage to connect and sort out the problem and then I call Fido. 'What up'?
I had an unsatisfactory conversation with Cedric, your representative: it appears I was text messaged several times..Sorry, I don’t do text messages..will learn but have been avoiding them. There’s only so much technology I can handle..so I didn’t realize that $66.00 was promoting these messages. I assumed it was advertising.
I do not respond to calls from unidentified persons..so if as C---- claims they tried to call me, I never once was aware that Fido was looking for me…or barking up the wrong tree, as it were, when asked who was calling, they said they could call back?
C----- was kind of annoying, and I was kind of aggravated, so when he insisted on calling me Ma'am in a condescending way, I started calling him Ma'am so he would see how complete disinterest and insensitivity feels. No worry, he never heard it.He had learned his words by ‘rote’..
As you have been taken over by Rogers anyway and that might account for the rabid text messages and automated phone employees, I would love to offer my services at a very high fee, to come into your offices and train your personnel on how to speak with human customers.
Short of that, I would like to recommend that you keep some kindness in your Big Business mandate and understand that every person is fighting a great battle.
I paid the $66.00 owing on my account that your second rep insisted i had to pay by Tuesday in order to prevent the phone from being disconnected and a reconnection fee applied.
I just discovered from two of your reps S------ and then J---, that I am being charged a reconmection fee of $25 for what J--- described as my second suspension of services, apparently the suspension on the 15th was not charged but there was a suspension on the 27th unbeknownst to me that appears to have occurred after I made payment arrangements.
If you do not waive this disconnection fee consider my service and our long time relationship CANCELLED.
With regret at the end of a long association
Cayle Chernin

-----Original Message-----
From: Gaetano Di Falco
Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2006 10:42 AM
To: cayle@sympatico.ca
Subject: Fido account
Importance: High


Dear Cayle,

We appreciate your concerns and for the trouble that we have caused you in not keeping with our goal in the area of customer service. We also appreciate, and recognize your loyalty towards the Fido brand.

This being said, we have reviewed your account - we have proceeded as follows:
reversed $25 (before tax) charge to reinstate your service (November, 2005 invoice)
reversed $25 (before tax) charge to reinstate your service (January, 2006 invoice)
reversed $2.32 (tax inclusive) charge to reverse the late payment charge (January, 2006 invoice)
For your information, your service has been reinstated - we did not charge $25 to reconnect it.

Please be advised that your new balance is $65.32; the latter is due February 25, 2006.

We trust the above is satisfactory and wish to thank you for the opportunity to regain your confidence.

Cordially yours,

Gaetano Di Falco
Attaché au Bureau de la direction
Services des relations avec la clientèle
Advisor, Office of the Executive
Customer Relations Services


Dear Gaetano,
Thank you very much for your consideration. I am happy that I do not have to leave Fido - I have always promoted you and now will continue to do so. I was thinking that an interesting promotion on your part would be to select an actor to give a free year's service to as a way to support Canadian talent and our Film business...not suggesting that I be the recipent but I think it would be amazing to link the cel phone, a must in our business to support of our talent..what do you think? So Fido can become the actor's best friend as well.
Best, Cayle Chernin
www.cayle.ca


Hello Cayle,

Many thanks for your positive reply. I, too, am happy to know you will continue to be a Fido ambassador.

I will forward your creative suggestion to our Sponsorship team, and this, in order for them to consider your request.

Best,

Gaetano

Can you pass on my website address to them?


Thanks, Cayle.

Indeed, I always share interesting customer information.

As an apprentice freelance writer (short stories), I have the utmost respect for you, and revere people that have tapped into their pool of creativity, instead of leaving it to evaporate...

I especially enjoyed your A Canadian Actor in Italy account. Bravissimo!

Best,

Gaetano


There is a GOD! Thank you so much..all the best in your creative endeavours. It's not easy, but its important to develop and support your 'own' voice. We are indeed all "one" but the individual, I feel, has a responsibility to themself to develop with original thouight and desire for clarity and communication..Italy was an amazing experience..a moment in time I will always treasure and hope to return to so that i can work again with Margotta and other like-minded people.
How would you feel about me putting our communication up on my blog..I think it shows how people can reach across the great Divide and solve problems. A little respect goes a long way, but if it could impact negatively on your job, i won't..
Best, Cayle



Thanks for the kind words.

I do not see how this could have a negative impact, aside from the information related to your account.

Italy is in my blood, my parents having to part, and cut their umbilical cord, from its mother country at a young adult age. But I visit whenever I can, and cherish the time I spend there, as new memories then mingle with tales recited, now apocryphal over the years, by my parents.

Take good care,

Gaetano
Gaetano Di Falco