Comments on: A lesson in customer service – I’m trying to give you more money!

By: terrywhite

terrywhite — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:55:36 +0000

William,
Looking at it from the Retailer’s Point of View:
There is a return policy that doesn’t preclude you from returning one that has been used, so that means that they must have some way of dealing with used ones even if it were used the day after it was bought and returned the following day, it’s used! So what do they do with the ones that come back used WITHIN the return time limit? This kinda kills your argument about not being able to deal with used items.

You’re absolutely right in that if I didn’t return it within the given time frame, that they don’t have do take it back. Yes, that is clearly on me and not them.

My point here is that this was a missed opportunity to not only make more money but also make a customer happy. This is why companies charge what they call “restocking fees”. It’s to cover those situations where they take something back that is now of lesser value. Also like I said in the post above, there were NO options given. Let’s say that taking it back was out of the question. How about a deal on a second one? My point here is that I wasn’t looking for something for nothing. I would have happily paid not only the difference between the cost of the first model and the bigger model, but I would have also paid a reasonable fee to have them take back the first one (which is now used). Yet, I wasn’t given any opportunity to do this.

So let’s recap the situation:
A) the company lost the chance to have a happy customer
B) the company lost the chance to make MORE money
C) their return policy was adhered to, good for them.

By: William Chinn

William Chinn — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:18:12 +0000

Please look at it from the retailer point of view. Is this totally within the return policy of the store? As you mentioned the product is now used. How does the retailer deal with it. It is not defective so it cannot be returned to the manufacturer. If the retailer does not deal with used merchandise how do they sell it and for how much? I will assume you had the original box, warranty card (not filled out), and other accessories. If not, the product value is even less.

As for the customer service aspect, did you understand the retailer’s return policy before you bought the item? If you were outside the return date who is at fault? So now what? If you tried to Ebay it, how much could you honestly sell it for? The margin of profit for retailers is often overestimated. The retailer / customer relationship should be viewed as a 2 way street. A valued customer is someone who understands the policies, knows what they want, and is happy to order the item for the asking price. The retailer knows his merchandise and knows what type of returns to expect and when. They track returns carefully. Yes, some retailers will go the extra out of policy step to make you happy. It is up to you to find them and give them your business if it is that important, but expect the item to cost more if not MSRP.

By: Ken

Ken — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:14:02 +0000

Terry,

See this in the New York Times about another nightmare: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/technology/companies/03att.html?_r=1&em

Ken in KY

By: David

David — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:19:56 +0000

I also bought a Hypermac, found the battery indicator to be not working and have had to return it ($40.00 postage). So far I am not impressed with their quality, I think for something that is that expensive it should have been checked better before it left the factory.
I would not recommend them if asked, I wish now I had just bought a couple of Laptop batteries instead.

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:06:45 +0000

Somehow I feel that you won’t need to contact them again – I bet you will hear from someone higher up the ladder there pretty quick now that you have posted your cs review. Things just get around on the net – like the United Breaks Guitars video that went viral as soon as it was posted.

By: Paul Corsa

Paul Corsa — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:16:29 +0000

If at first you don’t get a helpful response always ask to talk to a supervisor. Chances are you’ll accomplish what you were seeking once you find a person who has judgement and authority.

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:52:40 +0000

Or try to get UPS to hold a package for you on the 3rd day for pick up instead of delivering on the 4th day – they must attempt delivery. Ask them to take ownersip of an issue and work with customers, forget it. That takes actual care about the customer and their needs

By: David

David — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:20:07 +0000

“….. try buying a cross platform upgrade for CS4 from Adobe…”

Looks like they’ve learned from the masters!!!

By: terrywhite

terrywhite — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:08:23 +0000

Andrew, while I don’t doubt that selling used batteries would be tough, the response was that “Your return period lapsed.” It wasn’t that I couldn’t return it because it was used. So that being the case, I was stunned that there was not even a “paid” way to do it. Companies usually handle this with a restocking fee to offset the money they’re going to lose by not being able to sell the item as new again. No option at all was given here and I wasn’t trying to get a refund, I was trying to buy a bigger one.

By: enderg

enderg — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:43:52 +0000

LOL, Terry try buying a cross platform upgrade for CS4 from Adobe…

Regards,

Enderg

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:41:32 +0000

What it takes to develop a good product is not what it takes to run a good business.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:29:04 +0000

Customer Service in this country has taken a huge drop.And, this whole you can’t upgrade approach has always baffled me about the iPhone as well. I have a 3G and love it. But should I want to get a 3GS I have to pay full priced even tho I am willing to extend my contract the length of a new one. You can’t tell me they couldn’t recondition and sell/use my current phone. I could find dozens of high school skids who’s parents just won’t pay for a new one. Who knows maybe it’s more complicated than I understand. I know if someone came to me and said “I bought a 16×20 print but I really need a 24×36 can I upgrade?” I would just seriously discount the new print just to make sure they come back. But, Apples and prints I know (couldn’t resist the corny moment please forgive me).

By: Adrianne

Adrianne — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:45:27 +0000

I wonder if this was a ‘canned’ response? I notice that when I do things via the net (which I prefer, btw), I tend to get responses that let me know that the ‘person’ at the other end hasn’t even read my message. When I reply back, though, I get a response that makes me think someone actually took the time to read the message. I’ve always suspected, based on years in the CS industry and their penchant for trying to ‘weed out’ the things that take up a lot of the CSR’s time, if they don’t send a canned response to initial contacts and only after you send in a follow-up does an actual person read and respond to you message. It might be worth a follow-up email to see if you can get more information on their policies…or at least a friendly ‘no’. G/L!

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:17:24 +0000

I don’t know Terry. They may not have a solution that is good for you.

The only solution that can make business sense, once the battery is used is … Take back the battery and offer you pennies on the dollar. Then have it sit on their shelves for a while, ’cause no one wants to “used” battery.
You are not going to be happy with that, after all you’ve only used it once. There is no “restocking” fee on this one because they can’t simply put it on the shelf.

Jonathan’s note may sit with their policy and may be accurate, albeit not friendly.

Yes I do run an internet company.
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By: J Paul

J Paul — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:13:52 +0000

I had another unpleasant experience when I purchased a Drobo. The day I received mine in the mail, the Firewire version came out. I immediately contacted them about it and was told I could not exchange it for the new version because I had opened the box. I had merely cut the tape to open it, but never got it out of the box. Not a good policy in my opinion