After being on suspension for about 6 weeks, they fired me yesterday. I’m no longer bound by their contract so I’ll say what I damn well please now.
They said I was rude to a customer and it was gross misconduct. I wasn’t rude at any point of the call. I didn’t swear and I was not aggressive. I couldn’t give the customer what he wanted so he threatened social media. This is a big scare for HomeServe. My crime was that I forgot: ‘Sorry this has happened, but it’s good that you’ve brought it to our attention. Now let me see what I can do.’ Or words to that effect. They call it the ‘Glad, Sure, Sorry’ procedure.
This is classed as giving empathy, which they say I didn’t show. It is not compulsory, as they agreed in my disciplinary. As they said it is ‘a tool that we can use’. Note the word ‘can’. Not should, or must, or have to. No. It’s not compulsory.
They also said that I talked over the customer. I told them that I started talking when the customer had finished and he began talking again before allowing me to finish. He talked over me. They also didn’t like the fact that I said: ‘Can you let me finish?’
When you are trying to explain something and the person you are speaking to ignores you, then I think it is quite feasible to say this! The managers say it when they are speaking to customers or agents. I even heard Theresa May say it to Andrew Marr on the politics show!
I was told that they think I will forget the ‘Glad, Sure, Sorry’ bit again, and as I’m on a final from last year, they were now terminating my employment. Hello? Guess what? I’m human and I make mistakes. Obviously the managers are robotic saintly angels who never, ever, ever make a mistake! Course not. They are so perfect.
So there you go. These are the reasons for me being fired.
Now, just so that people know. I had put in a grievance before being put on suspension. A grievance about the 6 days extra holiday that I was buying. They were taking the payment out of my monthly pay, since October, but had not given me what I was paying for. This is a criminal offence. After many emails and complaining I logged a grievance. It has been ignored. A grievance should be dealt with before someone is fired.
I asked for a copy of notes from a meeting I had last year. Every time I asked for them it was confirmed that I would get them. I never received them. They denied me my legal rights.
I asked for a copy of the notes on certain calls for this year. I was told they would be posted to me. I’m still waiting for them. Denying me my legal rights again.
Our contractual hours changed in December. They sent me 5 letters that were all incorrect. I asked for a correct letter of employment. Never got it. Legal rights denied.
In my disciplinary, once they had told me I was fired, I pointed out these legal breaches and informed them they would be hearing from me. And now that I was no longer employed by HomeServe I would have to sort it out outside the company, with a lawyer. That was when all the excuses started.
I’ve been at that company for 14 years. There have been quite a few people put on suspension recently who have also been there over 10 years. Think of this what you will. I pointed this out in my disciplinary and got a load of excuses.
Rumours are rife. For those readers who know me you now know what has been happening. You can probably guess what will be happening in the future as well. My union rep says I have to take it one step at time. Not a problem.
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