Norton Disconnects a Remote Session Rather Than Solve the Issue

 

Once again, I have been disconnected purposely by a Norton representative without having received an adequate resolution to my issue. The following are the specifics:

On Friday, May 12, 2017 at approximately 8PM, I opened a chat with Norton representative Mohit Mogra regarding a question I have about the issue of not being able to rename devices which I have covered with Norton, which would be seven devices.

The representative offered to open a remote session to look at my issue, which I agreed to. At least four times during the remote session I was forced to explain the issue. The response was to show me a list of my devices. I could have done that!

Approximately twenty-five minutes into the remote session, the representative exited the session without so much as a mention of escalating the issue or apologizing for the inconvenience.

This has become a common practice for Norton – if no resolution is apparent…if the representative gets frustrated…the representative simply pulls the plug on the session, failing to do anything for the paying subscriber.

This is not the first time that I have been purposely disconnected by a Norton representative. However, the incident with a Norton representative which I experienced four days ago was equally as troubling.

On Monday, May 8, 2017, four days ago, I was, again, involved in a remote chat session with a Norton representative regarding my query on how to protect additional information which Norton’s current Identity Safe fails to do. The Norton’s representative suggested that I simply put my SENSITIVE INFORMATION into a Word document. The following complaint is from that incident:

 

 

The following is an email I sent and posted on 5/8/17 to Norton regarding their ignorant and complacent attitude regarding my security services:

Reference Case # [removed by Norton] 

On Monday, May 8, 2017, I contacted Norton Support to request assistance in discovering a way to protect other pertinent information, not just user ID and password. On some sites, there are security questions which need to be answered and I suggested that Norton should add fields to your login area for security questions. Your representative’s suggestion was to put this additional information into a Word document. How is this securing my information? If I wanted to use an unsecured Word document I would not need your services, now would I?

Your people need better training, both in how to understand your own products and resources to understand your customers. I pay for security, not idiotic suggestions which compromise security. If you are incapable of providing the services and resources that I need, I can happily take my business elsewhere. I have been a Norton subscriber for a few years now and I must tell you I have become unimpressed with your representatives and their lack of understanding, caring, and failure to provide the resources I need.

Please train your people better. Security is supposed to be your business, not suggesting ways to compromise my security.

I await your response on how you intend to make this right, otherwise, I will be taking my business to another provider whom actually provides security services which I need, not stupid suggestions which cause my sensitive information to become compromised.

Rob McDaniels

 

I am deeply disturbed at Norton’s lack of professionalism and failure to offer a remedy. I am further disturbed by the fact that I am paying for a guaranteed service and receiving nothing. I now logically conclude that should a virus actually infect my devices, will Norton stand by their guarantee or will they duck and run as they have with other less serious issues I have presented to them, which I have yet to receive any kind of resolution to. A reputable organization would be addressing these unacceptable incidents without being prompted.

Norton, how will you proceed?

I look forward to hearing from Norton on my recent experience and remind Norton that should my complaint be disregarded, as it often is, I shall post my complaint throughout social networks until I receive an appropriate response and resolution to false guarantees of customer service by Norton.

 

Regards,

 

Rob McDaniels

Hello Rob,

I'm alarmed to learn about your experience. I've sent you a Private Mail, which you can access through the Community Inbox. 

Thanks,

Matt

Hi SendOfJive, thanks for participating in my discussion. I will attempt to respond to your comments in order.

First, I never asked for an auto-fill for security questions nor would I. However, there are programs such as Enpass which are able to store other sensitive information in addition to user ID's and passwords. This additional sensitive information is actually stored within the same "window" as your user ID and password, is easily editable, and does not require the user to go into another section (I've actually attached a photo of what this looks like). 

Next, Identity Safe Notes is a great option, I agree, however, as I pointed out, this could be streamlined a little better. A company the size of Norton shouldn't be offering excuses, it should be offering solutions. 

This brings me to my final and most important point: Norton CSRs. They are amongst the most incompetent, uncaring and unthinking people I have ever dealt with. They are so in tune with the standardized script which they read from that they find it impossible to think outside the box. When the Norton CSR mentioned storing my information in a Word document, that was it - no mention of how to secure it - no advice on what to do with it. Does this strike you as someone who is professionally trained? And now for the best part: Rather than answer a simple question, he terminates the chat session. Is this part of their training? Even if it was an accidental disconnect, why did I not receive a phone call? The chat session information which is completed requests a phone number, and the CSR requests my phone number during the chat session, so there's no joy in an excuse there. Your quote.."...it's not reasonable to expect them to provide solutions to customer requests that are beyond what a product is designed to do." But suggesting storing sensitive information into an unprotected Word document is

I've chatted with a few really enthusiastic and well trained Norton CSRs in the past, and I can tell you I happily complete those questionnaires with positive feedback. But lately, having been dumped twice in one week by Norton CSRs, including being told that someone will get back to me, is completely unacceptable to me and in anyone's world where professional products and services are guaranteed. 

Again, I am more than appreciative of your feedback and suggestions and hope you don't take my statements as argumentative, but I wanted to convey to you exactly what I've been dealing with. Thanks for your attention in this and please touch base with me if there's anything I can do to offer assistance in getting Norton back on track where they need to be. 

 

I am not sure how any password manager would be able to autofill an answer to a randomly presented security question.  It can't actually read and understand if the site is asking for your mother's maiden name or the city of your birth, and most sites have you create a series of questions, any one of which might be required for access on any given occasion.  If you just want to store answers for manual entry, you can already do that in Identity Safe Notes, so that capability exists.  CSRs are trained to assist customers in the use of the product and its features - it's not reasonable to expect them to provide solutions to customer requests that are beyond what a product is designed to do.  The Word document suggestion, by the way, is not without some merit - you can encrypt a document so that it requires a password to view it, making it secure - but you are certainly free to decide for yourself the best way to accomplish what you want to do.

So, it's Wednesday afternoon and the weekend is long over. What's the answer to my issue? 

That correspondence was the first situation, not the most recent. There doesn't seem to be much Norton can do throughout the week either. Perhaps Norton should come to the realization that their paying customers also require quality help on the weekends also. Should Norton choose to side-step my issue, I'll be making more postings both here and elsewhere, you can count on it. 

Rob_McDaniels:

Hi. I'm not seeing a reply from you, just a couple links to my previous posts. 

And in one of the other threads, I posted that I had escalated your concerns to a customer service manager. He needs time to look up the information in your original threads. And there is probably nothing he can do on a weekend.

 

Except for one occasion, I too have had similar experiences.  I think it is time for us to look to other products that protect our system.  Norton use to be good but something has happened.  I think maybe the people are overworked.

My problem started with the product itself wouldn't install and then the back didnt and still doesnt work to an external drive. I was chatting with an representative and then it said he ended it.  Maybe he was frustrated or maybe we should all start looking at other products

 

Hi. I'm not seeing a reply from you, just a couple links to my previous posts. 

Please see replies to your previous posts about this here:

https://community.norton.com/en/forums/norton-becoming-complacent-offering-security-solutions

https://community.norton.com/en/forums/training-norton-representatives-who-compromise-security