Two Tales of Sloppy Service (and Their Very Different Outcomes)
I recently learned of two instances of bad customer service that offered very different lessons.
A woman named Angie was notified by an overnight delivery service that a package was on its way to her. It was scheduled to arrive on Friday and would require her signature. Knowing she wouldn't be home on Friday, she went to the company's website and, for five dollars, arranged for Saturday delivery between three and seven o’clock.
Saturday came and went. No package. It was delivered on Monday, which was fine, except for that little matter of having paid five dollars for Saturday delivery. When Angie called to get her money refunded, the service representative refused to reimburse her and claimed, amazingly, that Angie couldn't have arranged for Saturday delivery because the company offered no such service. Angie explained that she had a screen shot of the transaction. The rep said technical matters weren't her department, and sorry, but no reimbursement. It took several days and several more phone calls until Angie got her five dollars back.
I don't accept, as is sometimes claimed, that the customer is always right, though of course, all customers should be treated with respect. Still, should any company make such an issue over a piddling five dollars? It's bad enough that the package wasn't delivered on Saturday as promised, but to refuse to immediately reimburse Angie was a stupendous sign of sloppy service.
Compare Angie's experience with this one. A woman named Nina ordered an appliance, which she was told would be delivered on Friday between eleven and three o’clock. At 2:45 she called the company and was told delivery was delayed, but she would definitely receive it by six. At 5:45, she made another where-is-it call and was told that due to delays, the delivery man couldn't make it and the delivery would be made on Monday. The service rep was very apologetic. Still, Nina was mighty miffed.
The thing that drives customers crazy, even more than failure to deliver, is not being kept informed of the status. For most customers, not being notified about a delay—without having to call to get the status—is infuriating.
But here's the difference between Angie's experience and Nina's. The next morning Nina received an email from the service rep profusely apologizing for the lapse in service and stating that such treatment was not acceptable. Without Nina having to ask, demand, or beg, the service rep waived the delivery charge and applied a credit to the cost of the appliance. The appliance arrived on Monday as rescheduled.
Waiving the delivery fee and providing a partial refund doesn't excuse poor service. But at least the appliance company understood that quickly turning a negative into a positive is a wise strategy. When complaints are fixed quickly, customers become loyal just as quickly.
Have you ever had experiences like either of these? Have they influenced how you treat your own customers?
