Not All Customer Service is Good

Today I wasted an hour of my life dealing with eBay. I neither buy nor sell stuff through the online auction. I actually was just attempting to purchase a textbook through Half.com - a site owned/serviced/somehow linked to eBay. (As an aside, yes, this means I am taking a class toward my MBA again - finally). The book was going to cost me a bargain of $130 compared to $160 at the UCONN bookstore.

Unfortunately, the login I used to purchase the book was associated with a long-ago job. I haven't worked there for five or six years. I only noticed this when I was attempting to contact the seller for confirmation that she received my order. I was not able to change the email address associated with the account, because apparently in my old age I have created alternate accounts with my current work and hotmail email addresses and I can't remember those logins. Don't ask why I remember the ancient one and not the new ones.

Half.com does not have customer service on the weekends. eBay never offers telephone customer service, instead forcing you to suffer through LiveChat. I have nothing against LiveChat and I have nothing against outsourcing client service overseas - except when I actually have to make use of it. Here are some excerpts from my conversation:

• 2:41:09 PM Steven S. S. : I am afraid, but you will not be able to use a email address which is already existing on another account.

......(TIME ELAPSES/DISAPPEARS IN A VACUUM)

• 3:16:37 PM Steven S. S.: In this situation you'll need to contact the eMerge Team.
• 3:16:49 PM AmyBow: can you out me in touch with them?
  3:17:57 PM Steven S. S.: You'll need to send them a message from the following link and they will help you get the issue resolved: http://pages.ebay.com/help/account/...
• 3:18:23 PM AmyBow: NO. I WANT TO FIX THIS IMMEDIATELY. sending an email and waiting for a response is NOT ACCEPTABLE
• 3:20:43 PM Steven S. S.: I understand this Amy. I would really be glad to personally assist you with this issue as much as you expect me to. However, your concern will need to be taken care of by the eMerge Team which is specialized in handling this kind of issues.
  

I hung up at 3:43.