Many years ago, as I worked as a single college student back in Georgia, I decided to buy my mom her first cell phone from the Cingular store where I worked. It was one of those pre-paid kinds before the current nationwide plans gained popularity. So I bought her the phone, wrapped it up in a box, and gave it to her for Christmas. She was excited with her new techie gift.

Soon after, the phone was giving her problems. Being perceived along with my brother as the tech nerd in the family, it was up to me to get the phone back to its original state. So I called Cingular on my mother’s behalf and tried to get the problem resolved. The customer service representative said that the phone belonged to my mother and that she would have to call to solve the issue. I tried to explain that my mother wasn’t the best troubleshooter to no avail however. I hung up frustrated.

I then proceeded to call again, hoping to get a new attendant which I did. The dialog went something like this:

C: “Hello, how can I help you?”
Me: “I need to get my phone fixed.”
C: “Is this Cathy Snow?”
Me: “Yes,” I replied in my most manly voice in retaliation of the previous call.
C: “Uhhh, Cathy Snow the female?” the representative replied, obviously doubting me.
Me: “Yes.”
C: “Ohhh-kay…” after which she proceeded to fix the problem.

That’s power of attorney, folks. At least I’d like to think it was so as not to be considered “crying wolf.” Regardless, it was a very comedic experience with customer service. What are some of your most memorable (good or bad) customer service experiences?