It was true love.
Anyway, long story short, I signed up for a PayPal account (it amazes me I've never had one) and tried to log in to eBay.
Oops. I don't seem to recall my password. Even worse: the password retrieval feature is useless because I don't have access to the account that I signed up with. Sigh. I click the Help link and type my predicament into an e-mail form and send it off assured I will be contacted within 48 hours. A week later it occurs to me I never heard anything back. I sigh again but I have enough helpdesk experience to know things can fall off the table. So I drop a second e-mail.
God, e-mail forms are obnoxious.
This time I mention that I never heard back on my first trouble ticket and sure enough I get a response within 24 hours.
"Jamie S." informs me that if I don't have access to my old e-mail account I shouldn't worry! I can always create a new eBay account! I found this rather condescending but it seems to be the company policy because I saw it in the FAQs as well. Jamie continued, telling me that if I don't want a new eBay account (and why would I?) I can contact a support representative via their chat interface.
The log of my chat session:
SystemSystem
Initial Question/Comment: Password/Sign-In
8:12:03 AM SystemSystem
Thank you for contacting eBay Live Help!
8:12:03 AM SystemSystem
eBay Support Representative: has joined this session!
8:12:03 AM SystemSystem
Connected with eBay Support Representative:
8:12:07 AM eBay Support Representative:
Hello, thank you for waiting and welcome to eBay Live Help! My name is John. If you're a registered member, may I please start by having you confirm your User ID and first name?
8:12:30 AM Me:
My username is *deleted* and my first name is Jon.
8:12:59 AM eBay Support Representative:
Thank's Jon!How may I help you?
8:14:27 AM Me:
Thanks, John. I've decided to start using eBay again after leaving my account dormant for some time now. The problem is I no longer have access to the e-mail account that I left on file when I last used eBay. I was registered with me@somecompany.com. My new account is me@someothercompany.com.
8:17:09 AM eBay Support Representative:
Thank you for that information.Let me clear this for you.As I read you don't have access to your registered email.
8:17:26 AM Me:
Correct.
8:18:09 AM eBay Support Representative:
Okay.So you cant log in now to your account?
Not bad. Pretty textbook. Be polite. Inquire as to how you can assist. Listen to the nature of the issue. Restate the issue in your own words and see if the customer agrees that you're both on the same page. Things are looking good.
8:18:45 AM Me:
Correct. I've forgotten the password and can't retrieve it because I no longer have access to the registered e-mail account.
8:20:15 AM eBay Support Representative:
Have you tried checking your email account again?Just for confirmation.
Huh?I don't have the account so the solution is for me to have the account? I mean the fact the Representative is clearly not a native English speaker aside, one expects a modicum of problem-solving ability in one's tech support. Let's try again, shall we?
8:20:57 AM Me:
I don't have access to that e-mail . I no longer work for that company.
8:22:35 AM eBay Support Representative:
In that situation we can no longer retrive your password however you can register again using a different email address.
There's that goddamned Mickey Mouse solution again! What kind of retarded user would I have to be to think "Oh noes! I've losted my one and only eBay account!" Getting a mite irritated here...
8:24:20 AM Me:
I don't wish to create a new account. I contacted support regarding this and Jamie S. stated that I simply needed to use this chat to regain access to my old account.
8:26:30 AM eBay Support Representative:
But in that case we cant retrieve your password because the system will send it in your registered email.
Okay this guy just needs it spelled out for him I guess. Who exactly is providing support for whom at this point?
8:27:52 AM Me:
John, please see the following quotes from Jamie's e-mail to me:
8:27:55 AM Me:
"Secondly, if you unwilling to register another account using your new email address and wish to access your old eBay account, may I request you to contact our Live help."
"You might also consider to reply to this message, so that we can help
you further to change your old registered email address to new. Once
your email address is changed, I can also be able to reset and generate
a new password for your account."
By the way, I can forgive Engrish in a a chat session. But in an official external company communication? Does eBay really accept their support reps not using spell check? Moreover, since the email is clearly being generated by a response system, why doesn't *it* have a spellchecker? Sigh, at any rate, dropping Jamie S.'s name seems to have stirred something in my Support Representative's pot.
8:28:36 AM eBay Support Representative:
One moment please.
8:30:01 AM eBay Support Representative:
Here's what I can do for that I can give you a temporary password and after that you need to edit your account information inside you My eBay page.
8:30:22 AM Me:
I would greatly appreciate that, John.
Was that so bloody difficult? Answer: yes. Yes it was.
8:31:41 AM eBay Support Representative:
First,can I have your full name,address and phone number?
8:32:45 AM Me:
Jon Michael McCarron. I assume you want the address on file it would be one of the following: *deleted*
8:33:58 AM Me:
The registered phone number is *deleted*.
8:34:41 AM eBay Support Representative:
Thank you for that information Jon!One moment please.
8:36:42 AM eBay Support Representative:
You can now use this temporary password to log into your account: *deleted*
8:39:21 AM Me:
One moment please.
8:39:27 AM eBay Support Representative:
How's it going there?
8:39:42 AM eBay Support Representative:
Sure.
8:43:14 AM eBay Support Representative:
Just checking if you are still with me.
8:43:59 AM Me:
Thanks for your help, John. I've logged in, changed my e-mail address and changed my password.
8:44:29 AM eBay Support Representative:
That's great!Is there anything else I can help you with?
8:45:05 AM Me:
That's it. Have a nice day.
8:45:19 AM eBay Support Representative:
It's been a pleasure speaking with you today. Thank you for coming to eBay Live Help, have a great day! Once you’re ready to close this chat window, please feel free to click on the “Exit” button.
Maybe I'm being a bit of a dick, but all my QA and CS training tells me something is horribly wrong at eBay. It's a shame. And I by no means imply that curried helpdesk is less competent than American helpdesk. But... you get what you pay for, eBay.
