Centegra continues automated calls

Man, oh man, I got another of Centegra's automated calls yesterday to call them back. Now, this was not a call that first tried to reach me (live) and then left a message for me to return the call. It was an automated call, telling me to call them back.

Somebody up the food chain in Centegra's management team made a customer dis-service decision from a cost standpoint to purchase and use an annoying telephone procedure that dials a customer (client/patient) and leaves a message for that patient to call its accounting office back.

I had previously complained to a Centegra customer service rep (CSR) that I found that procedure especially annoying. I realized that the CSR was only doing her job (when I called back), and so I didn't go down her throat. I did ask for a supervisor to call me back, so that my complaint about their "time-management tool" could start up the food chain. No one called back.

When yesterday's call came into my telephone's voice mailbox, I almost didn't return it. But then I decided to. Again it was important to be polite to the CSR who answered the phone; she is only doing her job. She, I am sure, had no part in the corporate decision to implement such an intrusive, annoying tool.

And I was nice to the supervisor. I didn't "buy" the "this is how we do it" explanation. Of course, that "how" they do it. I already knew that. What I wanted her to "get" was that I, the customer, didn't like it and that I wanted her to forward my complaint up the food chain.

Will one little complaint make the difference? Probably not. If I were steering the ship and received this complaint, I'd can that system. Of course, I never would have implemented it in the first place.

If you find those calls as annoying as I do, give Centegra your two-cents' worth. And ask for a response from a corporate Manager or Vice-President, so that you know your complaint got heard up at the top, where change is possible.

No doubt there are customers of Centegra who duck their bills and collection calls. I'm not one of them. So I had them take my telephone number out of the accounting record. Will that also remove my phone number from patient records and eliminate any calls to re-schedule an appointment if a doctor is sick? Let's hope not!

But I had a second complaint, and that was a call about a $42.16 bill that is due today. They had called yesterday about how I wanted to handle the $42.16. I had mailed my check yesterday, and it will be delivered to Centegra Hospital-Woodstock today, exactly on the due date.

Is Centegra so desperate for $42.16 that they must call before a payment is late???

Outrage of the Week No. 1

Almost made it through the week without this type of nonsense. Just a few minutes ago my phone rang, and it was an automated call from Centegra Health Systems to call them back on a toll-free number.

Talk about a way to lose a customer!

If they want to talk to me, they can call me! I absolutely object to an automated call to me, asking me to call them! Does anyone else feel this way?

When I called back, I barked (politely) at the customer service rep who answered the phone and admitted quickly that, yes, indeed, they do make some outgoing calls like that. I realized that she doesn't make the rules; she just works there.

Now, it's not like they have called me a dozen times and can't reach me. This was the first call to me.

I'm waiting now for the supervisor to call me back, because I refused to wait on Hold to talk to the supervisor and didn't want voicemail.

But even the supervisor doesn't make the rules at Centegra, so I'll find out who does.