ESB customers are powerless
It is now impossible to discuss an account query in person with any employee of the ESB. It must be done by phone, which is only acceptable if you can get through - so far, this has failed me.
I am just left waiting endlessly on the line. On numerous occasions I have waited 15 minutes to no avail, and even letters by post remain unanswered.
In a bid to resolve my query, I called into their offices at Academy Street, Cork, recently. It’s a place where you could get served a mere year ago, but it is now about to close.
However, they told me they didn’t provide ‘customer service’ there, and I would have to do it by phone. They offered to put me through (I was excited - maybe they had an inside line). Unfortunately, I was queued again, and waited 15 minutes there, again to no avail.
While waiting I overhead another man say that he had waited 15 minutes to get service on another phone line in their offices and he couldn’t wait any longer. I was told there was nowhere in the whole country that I could go to meet a customer service representative in person. They told me this was happening all the time, but no one in management took any notice of complaints.
I was interested to read an internal memo pinned to the wall inside the desk.
It asked staff members to report any abusive language or behaviour from customers (quoting the customer’s name and account number) to a helpful colleague in their Limerick office who was taking the time to log all such incidents, and “will deal them herself”.
I wish we customers had the same rights and access. It must be wonderful for management to be running a monopoly like this and to be able to show such complacency towards customers.
This is simply not good enough. It would not be tolerated in private business and it should not be tolerated in a semi-state body, especially one that enjoys such a monopoly.
Elaine O’Leary
Glendaragh House
Inniscarra
Co Cork
