Need Help Finding the Customer Service Department

[pmbinnj]

As a "Newbie" I don't know where a new home owner goes for "customer service" when the recommended phone number does not meet expectations. Many organizations have a department which provides basic support to its customers, and then a hierarchy of support as a need arises. Those organizations realize that an apparent inconsequential problem could turn into a much larger issue when left unaddressed. There is so much right about buying here in The Villages but when a problem arises it seems that no one is directly responsible for providing assistance. I just can't seem to find a person/department here in TV to help us new home owners and I'm getting a bit discouraged. Thanks for any suggestions.

[Sable99]

As a "Newbie" I don't know where a new home owner goes for "customer service" when the recommended phone number does not meet expectations. Many organizations have a department which provides basic support to its customers, and then a hierarchy of support as a need arises. Those organizations realize that an apparent inconsequential problem could turn into a much larger issue when left unaddressed. There is so much right about buying here in The Villages but when a problem arises it seems that no one is directly responsible for providing assistance. I just can't seem to find a person/department here in TV to help us new home owners and I'm getting a bit discouraged. Thanks for any suggestions.

Did you contact the Warranty Department at 352-753-6222. They have always been very helpful to me.

[kittygilchrist]

What company are you paying for phone service?
Options may be Brighthouse, Comcast, Sprint, etc. As far as I know, the villages itself does not operate any phone company.

[Barefoot]

As a "Newbie" I don't know where a new home owner goes for "customer service" when the recommended phone number does not meet expectations.

I'm thinking that would be an issue to discuss with your phone service provider??
Perhaps we are all misunderstanding your question.

[Bonanza]

I think if you mentioned in what specific area you have a problem, someone could probably put you in the right direction.

[CFrance]

Customer service for whom? What company?

I'm interpreting your phrase "recommended phone number does not meet expectations" to mean that you are trying to contact a customer service department about a problem, but the phone number you've been given for that customer service department is not what you need. Please explain further so we can help.

[pmbinnj]

Sorry I was not clear - I knew what I meant but was not clear enough for you folks to help me. The Villages phone number I was told to call did not provide the support I was expecting regarding a single issue with a new home. We are so pleased to be here but we need help with a house problem and several people have dropped the ball.

[Chazz]

It seems to me that you should start with the Warranty Dept, as Sable99 recommended.

[asianthree]

Sorry I was not clear - I knew what I meant but was not clear enough for you folks to help me. The Villages phone number I was told to call did not provide the support I was expecting regarding a single issue with a new home. We are so pleased to be here but we need help with a house problem and several people have dropped the ball.

Might want to mention the problem and so you can be sent in the right direction

[kittygilchrist]

I had absolute delight with The Villages home warranty.
The difficult thing is to describe your problem clearly enough to home warranty that they know who to call to fix your problem. One team did your tile, another team did your plumbing, another team did your electric, another team painted, and so on. In my experience, as long as you are clear about what you need, you are very likely to get A phone call back from the correct team to make an appointment to fix your problem.
In the event that you have an extremely difficult situation or cannot come to terms with the team who is trying to help fix your problem, you might want to ask for your builder to call you. That has never failed to produce excellent results for me.

[herbaru]

Sorry I was not clear - I knew what I meant but was not clear enough for you folks to help me. The Villages phone number I was told to call did not provide the support I was expecting regarding a single issue with a new home. We are so pleased to be here but we need help with a house problem and several people have dropped the ball.

Two suggestions:
Call warranty and ask to speak with your builder. They should get the message to him.
Go to the sales department and ask to speak with a manager.

[Bogie Shooter]

http://abbottandcostellocollectibles.com/images/wof%20photo.jpg

wow. That is a big picture!

[NYGUY]

I am totally lost!!!....Is this person going to tell us what the issue is so we can help them or is it a secret??? :shrug:

[JoMar]

You should have received an indoctrination with your builder which would have included the information on your new home. Their should have been a refrigerator magnet with the phone number of the warranty department plus additional contact information. The warranty department is your single point of contact and is the interface with the people that build your home. You should then be contacted by the appropriate contractor, either same day or next day to set an appointment to evaluate your issue and arrange a time to correct the issue. That has been my experience since we arrived in September and have been very satisfied with the process.

[graciegirl]

You will do better to have warranty speak to your builder. They represent the BIG builder, the Morses who employ all of the building teams and warranty has clout. Just tell warranty and if you're nice they will do just about anything to fix your problem.

Most of us are delighted with the follow up for any problems that come up with a new home.

[Cisco Kid]

That photo was so big is exploded my I-Pad

[CarolSells]

OMG! My IPhone is groaning too!

[pmbinnj]

OK – so the problem is with a brand new refrigerator. The first time we really used it was in December and discovered that the front freezer door drips condensation down to the floor and additional water puddles inside the freezer and refrigerator floor. The ice maker makes grinding noises and the motor makes a different grinding noise with metal against metal. We’ve had to lay down towels so water doesn’t flow to the floor cabinets, and also turn off the ice maker and buy bags of ice. Hubby bought a “sound machine” because we could not sleep with the noise every time the refrigerator turns on.
The appliance warranty service sent out a repairman. Before he even entered the kitchen he exclaimed “It shouldn’t do that!” when he saw the wet front door and heard the noise. He diagnosed that the freezer door was not insulated properly and that the ice machine was broken; he told us that new parts would take 6 weeks. He never said what would silence the grinding metal on metal. We called TV warranty department and they said we’d need to talk to the builder. That took a couple of days and he said the only remedy is to continue to order replacement parts even if it is piecemeal. We asked for more help than that because we did not feel we should have to replace the refrigerator at our own expense. Builder said he’d get back in touch but never did. After more than a week we emailed our salesperson who forwarded our email to the warranty department. They said someone else would contact us because only a higher-up could deal with a possible new appliance replacement. That was last week – still no call back.
We just love our new home but are quite displeased with this “lemon” and the seemingly lack of response/responsibility. So, where do happy Villagers go for customer service before they become totally disgruntled?

[graciegirl]

OK � so the problem is with a brand new refrigerator. The first time we really used it was in December and discovered that the front freezer door drips condensation down to the floor and additional water puddles inside the freezer and refrigerator floor. The ice maker makes grinding noises and the motor makes a different grinding noise with metal against metal. We�ve had to lay down towels so water doesn�t flow to the floor cabinets, and also turn off the ice maker and buy bags of ice. Hubby bought a �sound machine� because we could not sleep with the noise every time the refrigerator turns on.
The appliance warranty service sent out a repairman. Before he even entered the kitchen he exclaimed �It shouldn�t do that!� when he saw the wet front door and heard the noise. He diagnosed that the freezer door was not insulated properly and that the ice machine was broken; he told us that new parts would take 6 weeks. He never said what would silence the grinding metal on metal. We called TV warranty department and they said we�d need to talk to the builder. That took a couple of days and he said the only remedy is to continue to order replacement parts even if it is piecemeal. We asked for more help than that because we did not feel we should have to replace the refrigerator at our own expense. Builder said he�d get back in touch but never did. After more than a week we emailed our salesperson who forwarded our email to the warranty department. They said someone else would contact us because only a higher-up could deal with a possible new appliance replacement. That was last week � still no call back.
We just love our new home but are quite displeased with this �lemon� and the seemingly lack of response/responsibility. So, where do happy Villagers go for customer service before they become totally disgruntled?


You will do better talking to warranty yourself. Just say...This isn't acceptable. They will see that it is handled. Don't work through your builder or your sales rep. Call warranty yourself.

[JoMar]

We had a similar issue with a dishwasher.....called warranty, they sent a service guy who tried a couple things and finally determined there was a fatal issue and it would have to be totally rebuilt. He took the information back and the warranty department authorized a replacement. The company that provided the dishwasher originally did the replacement. We also had an issue with a damaged refrigerator door....similar process and the door was replaced. Took a week or two on both appliances but persistence with the warranty department usually works.

[MSGirl]

Same thing happened to us with our refrigerator. They ordered us a new door and it took 6 weeks to get. Once installed everything is better. However, since brand new refrigerators are under warranty, I never will understand why they just don't replace the refrigerator period. Oh, and ours was also physically damaged!

[Abby10]

I found the warranty dept to be pretty responsive to issues when we bought our new home. I think that you need to persist in contacting them so that they are aware that the problem still exists. Initially they may have handed you off to someone else (the builder I believe), but unless you make them aware that you are still dealing with this problem they will most likely assume that it has been resolved. Call them again - it sounds like you could end up getting a replacement - too many issues for a brand new appliance. Hope all works out for you.

[raynan]

Who made the refrigerator? GE or Whirlpool? 1st. Call their service dept and ask for a supervisor (they can see your history of service). 2nd (no satisfaction?) Ask for his/her mgr. 3rd (no satisfaction?) Ask to be transferred to Customer Relations. You'll get an adm/asst. Ask for the name of the Customer Relations Mgr. and the phone # to reach CR direct and how long it will be before you can expect a call back and explain the whole history of the ref. and that if it continues you can see that there will be water damage to your kitchen cabinets. 4th Give it 24 hrs and if no call back call the adm/asst back and ask if anything has been resolved, if not, you want the name of the CR Mgr. at headquarters. If it's GE, it's in Louisville, KY. Do NOT lose your cool. Explain clearly but firmly. If you have had 3 service calls in 1 year, demand a replacement. Thank everyone for their time and attention to this matter but be sure to keep a written log of every name, date and time of who you talk to in case needed for conversation with headquarters. Call The Villages Home Warranty and inform them (again) that you are still having problems and are going to pursue it with manufacturer of ref. and would appreciate them getting involved also. Service is usually a local/zone office, Customer Relations is usually regional, headquarters is national.