Imagine a company so arrogant that its employees never return calls. Imagine a company so arrogant that its customer service representatives never return calls. Imagine a company so arrogant that its supervisor in customer service never returns calls, even when he promises to, and even after multiple messages are left. Imagine a company that, when you reach your regional supervisor, he says that you signed a contract and basically tells you to go to …. That my friends is Nova Information Systems, the wonderful company that my bank, Wachovia, co-brands with and recommended to me to handle my credit card processing. Since the fall of 2005 (that’s not a typo), no one from Nova has ever returned a phone call or responded to inquiries, even when my bank (Wachovia) tried to spur them to reply. The people I deal with at Wachovia acknowledge that I have been treated like …. but they are as powerless to deal with Nova as a dead skunk in the middle of the road. And the people at Nova don’t care — now that’s lousy customer service.

On the other hand, we’ve dealt with Verizon Wireless for years and have generally been very pleased (we just avoid the Ardmore store). Our sales representative (Carlton at the Springfield, Pa. store) epitomizes what customer service should be. He is helpful and honest, and the type of person every customer wants to deal with. And so are their customer service people for Blackberrys. Every time I have called for support, they have been helpful and knowledgeable, and have resolved my problems.

Let’s hope Verizon Wireless never merges with Nova. If that happens, all you’ll ever get is a busy signal.