Another morning wasted.

I have just sent an email. I shan't bore you with details. You can read the email and bore yourself silly with the details. The names of those involved have been changed. Then changed back again. Enjoy.

Dear Chris,

Further from our telephone conversation earlier today, I am writing to complain about what I perceive to be mis-selling, and unauthorised funds being withdrawn from my bank account. I was cold called last Thursday, and through quite a garbled sales pitch, was offered an insurance renewal on my Sky box. I informed the agent that I had just been employed by Sky and was not sure whether I would be entitled to a discount with my employment, to which she replied that she works for Sky and has to pay hers. This led me to assume that I was being called by Sky themselves, which as I have now learned is not the case.

Following a very confused call which was very heavy-handed in trying to make a sale, I agreed to set up a direct debit for the 15th of each month, as that is when my wife gets paid. I informed the agent that I would discuss it with my wife, and was assured that I would be sent paperwork confirming the contract, and could cancel at any time. I was led to believe that the £6 a month was only applicable on that call. Hindsight tells me that it was so the agent could guarantee the sale for herself.

In providing card details to set up a direct debit, I was told my card was declined. The agent asked a supervisor for help, who tried re-entering my details, and I was told it had been declined again. Alarm bells started ringing; I said: "You're not trying to take money out of my account, are you?" but I was informed that that was the case. I told the supervisor that it was not what I had agreed, and that I do not have the funds in the account. She told me that the direct debit would be set up as planned, and I was assured that it would be for the 15th of each month, and that I could cancel at any time once the paperwork arrived. At time of writing, I have received no documentation in the post.

On checking my bank account this morning, I discovered that £6 had been taken on a debit card payment by Skylite. As soon as I saw the name, I checked Google and discovered for the first time that your company is not affiliated with Sky. My bank informed me that I was unable to recall the payment, as it was a card payment, not a direct debit. As you can imagine, I am not best pleased, particularly as I was assured that a direct debit would take payments on the 15th of each month. This card payment, to which I did not agree, has left us in a difficult position; my employment with Sky has not yet begun, so in the meantime we need every penny we have or can get. As agreed on the telephone conversation earlier today, I would like the £6 refunded into my bank account as soon as possible, and would like my details stricken from your records. Having worked in retail and customer service for over a decade, I do appreciate that yours is a very target-orientated business, but as I pride myself on my own customer service ability, I always balk at poor service and ineffective two-way communication, when an agent's self-motivated 'make the sale no matter the cost' attitude overrides customer care. It is poor business practice to simply not listen to your customer.

I appreciate the time you have spent reading my letter, and wish you a good day.

Yours sincerely,

Ian Hewett

I guarantee they'll take nothing from my comments. They'll probably congratulate the agent on being so aggressive in her selling, to the point of lying not once, but three times. Still, I'm getting my refund, so job done. I hate cold calls. It takes a certain kind of person to do that job. I'm not generalising, as there are some people who excel in that line of work with dignity and tremendous salesmanship. Some, like the agent I spoke to, are out of their depth to the point of desperation. I know that I couldn't do that job; I'll be dealing with incoming calls in my forthcoming job (still waiting for a start date, bah), which is fine. That's on the customer's terms, and they're not wrong-footed instantly by some chump trying to distract them whilst simultaneously nicking their wallet in a clumsy, illiterate Fagin-esque way. I'm a reactive salesman by experience, which involves listening to what your customer wants, helping them get that something, and providing further help with other things that may interest them. It's not rocket surgery, or indeed brain science, but it takes a certain knack, one which I developed over time. I'm by no means perfect at the job (I'm probably going to be a bit rusty now), but it's something you learn and develop over time. People can tell when you're desperately attempting to flog them an overstock. The best feeling (though bittersweet) in my old job was when people assumed that I was on commission, which I wasn't. Though the general public usually can't be bothered (or don't have the decency) to commend decent customer service, this was often the closest I got to getting a compliment. It made me enjoy the job more, knowing I seemed to be doing it right. I honestly don't think a lot of cold callers have the same motivations or job pride as I have. Saying that, they're much better at it than I ever could be. Bastards.

***

Don't forget, I'm looking to publish some guest posts on here as soon as I get them. It'll give me the chance to get Destinauts closer to completion whilst keeping this place ticking, as well as showing the world what a talented, funny bunch of people you lot are (plus, if you have your own site or blog, it's a bit of free advertising for you, innit?). I've had quite a few interested peeps already. Don't be afraid to contact me. If you follow me on Twitter and send me a message, I can DM you my email address for submitting your guest blog. It can be on any subject, entirely image-based (or not at all), a video, a list, a rant, whatever you like, so long as it sort of fits the tone of this place. Don't forget, any questions or advice, ask me on Twitter.

Oh, while you're here, pop along to the Destinauts blog page, scroll down and become a follower. There are 8 blog followers at the moment, and 40 Facebook fans. I'm hoping for as large an audience as I can muster when it launches, and any help you can give me is much appreciated (and needed!). I'm getting there. Finished another page last night. The first 'issue' is probably going to be 10 or 11 pages long; I'm aiming for a monthly frequency, but the more I get back into the swing of drawing and colouring, the quicker I should get. He says.

Have a lovely day. The sun's shining here, hope it is where you are. Unless you have some kind of allergy to sunlight that baffles medical science, in which case, um, stay warm.