Lycos Deletes Customer’s Email and Goes Snarky
First of all, you ask Ly-What?
Okay, I’m old enough to remember what Lycos was back in the day, and probably like most of you, don’t really care what Lycos is up to these days. But in its glory days, I believe Lycos was one of those top portals/search-engines people went to when they wanted information. It was also one of the choice destinations for email and personal Web space (anyone still using Tripod and Angelfire these days?).
That’s so Web 1.0. Ah, the good old days.
Anyway, here’s this PR mess Lycos has to deal with. The policies for the Lycos email service seem to say you have to access your email at least once every 30 days, or your messages will be deleted. I guess there’s no bad with that, but it’s with the way the company tells you blatantly to your face to buzz off that’s annoying.
Whitney from idaho-hum.com writes about her experience with a snarky customer service rep named Mike Jandreau (apparently the Lycos customer service rep) when she complained about lost email. The response after several level-headed notes from Whitney :
I’m sorry, no one here has any intentions of helping you with anything. I am the manager of all of Customer Service. There is no one higher than me that you will speak with. You violated our policy, which is, despite what you say, completely clear. No one is holding anything hostage. Your e-mails have been completely deleted, and no amount of money can now restore them. This matter is closed.
Here’s a good take on the matter from consumerist.com:
Policy it may be, but this is no reason to treat a customer, even if most people aren’t even sure that your company exists anymore. Lycos owes Whitney an apology and the restoration of all her deleted email.
Lycos says you can pay the $19.95 subscription if you wanted to have your emails restored. Sounds like they’re taking your emails hostage just so you’d subscribe.
Then again, if something’s important, it’s always best to make backups, especially if the information is on a free service that can just go kaput anytime. But that still doesn’t excuse anyone from treating a customer like crap.
What do you think?