Yesterday, I shared a service failure I was experiencing with Whirlpool. You can read the post here: "Will Whirlpool fix their service failure?"
I thought it might be interesting to share everything my wife, Sally, and I have done so far to try to update the credit card they have on file for us. It's amazing that in 2012, something so simple and common can become an extremely frustrating and impossible task.
Background
We have a subscription where Whirlpool automatically sends out a new water filter for our refrigerator every six months and bills the credit card they have on file. Our credit card recently expired, but so far we've been unable to give Whirlpool the updated information.
Timeline
The whole process started when Sally received an email telling her that the credit card we had on file need to be updated. Here is a list of our unsuccessful attempts so far:
1. Online. Sally attempted to update the credit card online but their website wasn't working properly.
2. Chat. Sally initiated a chat session to get help. The chat session was disconnected before Sally could pose her question.
3. Chat. Sally initiated another chat session. This time, the person attempted to walk her through updating our credit card online but it still didn't work. The customer service rep then provided a phone number where Sally could call customer service.
4. Phone. Sally called customer service. The customer service rep informed her that he didn't have access to our account and could only walk her through the steps for updating her credit card online. It still didn't work.
5. Email. Sally emailed Whirlpool customer service and explained her multiple attempts to update her credit card information. She received a response instructing her to go online. It still didn't work.
6. Twitter. I sent a tweet to @Whirlpoolcare asking for help. I also mentioned I wanted an option besides online because that wasn't working. They gave me a new phone number to call.
7. Phone. I called the new number and, after being transferred, was told the only way to update my credit card was online.
Now Sally and I back where I started. If you were me, what would you do?