Complaint department
Remember the days when the customer was always right? When companies prided themselves on providing the utmost in customer service. And in turn, they received the loyalty of a happy customer.
I am very sad to say that this is not the service I have received lately. Except from Starkist Tuna – I found pieces of bone in my packet of tuna, sent them an email and received a coupon for more tuna. Would I have preferred a refund for enduring the stress of being put at risk for choking on a bone and damaging my esophagus? Yes. But a coupon would do just fine and while I am apprehensive to try it again (it happened twice), it was the thought that counted.
That is all I am asking for – a bit of thoughtful assistance when dealing with an unsatisfied customer. A complaint, a coupon, no hard feelings. Unfortunately, most customer service representatives that I encounter do not seem interested in remedying the situation in a way that leaves the customer feeling reassured and wanting to come back. For instance, I ordered an item to send to my nephew for Christmas (his first Christmas) and while two items made it to him on time, one of them was placed on back order. That is fine. I understand. But then, I received subsequent emails saying that the item would not ship on the back ordered date, that there was no telling when the item would ship and then one asking me to approve the extension. I responded to the emails and asked for a relative time frame to expect the item to be in stock (i.e., anywhere between now and the time he turns five). Afterall, I have seen the item at Target – could purchase it there, ship it myself and have it there within the week. The response was that I basically had to wait. I was expecting that but I was also hoping for some sort of compensation for my inconvenience (to spend while I wait) such as a coupon, a discount, an offer for free shipping in the future. Have companies forgotten about brand competition? Needless to say, in the future, I will be taking my business to Borders.
Another area that needs improvement – air travel. Is it enough that the plane takes off and lands safely? Absolutely. But just as with any type of business, what about that little extra? Traveling is an experience and most of my poor experiences take place en route to or after I reach my destination. When it comes to canceled or delayed flights, Jet Blue comes out on top in terms of offering allowance for lost time (Of course, it is usually towards future flights with Jet Blue but again, it is a nice gesture and keeps me satisfied). Another dilemma I have encountered – lost luggage. Perhaps it is hard to say when I may be seeing it again, even to say where it is stowed away presently (I don’t know the logistics of the system) but I do not what to hear, “There is nothing we can do” when I am seeking reassurance. Where is the confidence? If the company isn’t confident, how am I supposed to be comfortable?
At the same time, I find pushy sales people inappropriate as well. I went to a store to buy a twelve dollar headband for a Christmas present and walked out with a hundred dollar tote to give and a hundred dollar tee shirt for me. All due to the question posed by every employee there, “What’s the problem?” I received the same question when shopping for auto insurance and when ready to purchase the representative (in one breath) came back to the line and said that my quote more than doubled how do you want to pay for that today? When I said that I had to think about it, I got, “What’s the problem?” I probably need to work on my resistance to pressure, but that question had such a stigma behind it that it just made me feel so bad about myself that I needed the tee shirt to make me feel better. And if you are wondering my thoughts on auto insurance, Nationwide is on MY side.
In my opinion, excellent customer care still has a value – patronage – which is priceless. Customers still appreciate friendly service with a smile and even if we aren’t always right, we like validation. Doesn’t everyone?
