Archive for customer
Complaints rolling in about Google Nexus One
Posted by: | CommentsGoogle’s Nexus One phone may have been one of the most anticipated devices of the last few weeks. But since the smartphone’s launch last Tuesday, it has left a string of unhappy customers in its wake.
Nexus One has been plagued by consumer complaints including spotty 3G connectivity, a high early termination fee, poor customer support from Google and problems with the touchscreen.
“There are some aspects of the experience that Google didn’t think through as carefully as they should have,” says Charles Golvin, an analyst with Forrester Research. “This has implications for the store they have launched and their future ambitions for it. Google, clearly, has a lot of work ahead of it.”
Google introduced the Nexus One as the first device to be sold by the search company itself, rather than a manufacturing or carrier partner. The Nexus One, which runs Android 2.1, has been designed by HTC and works with T-Mobile’s network in the United States.
But contrary to initial speculation, the device isn’t free. It will retail for $180 with a 2-year contract with T-Mobile. An unlocked version is also available for $530 — a price similar to most other smartphones — and that version will work on other GSM phone networks worldwide as well as AT&T in the United States, although with some limitations.
The difference, though, is the Nexus One is available only through Google’s online store. Unlike with a Motorola Cliq or a HTC G1, users can’t walk into a T-Mobile store and buy the Nexus One.
They can’t even count on T-Mobile’s customer service representatives in store or the company’s phone support to solve their problems.
It’s a strategy that has backfired on Google. The company’s support forums are full of customer complaints around the Nexus and the company’s poor service.
“A lot of complaints and frustration that people are expressing would normally be handled by going back into the store or by calling the support help line,” says Golvin. “Having a physical location where you can take your phone back helps customers and Google seems to have underestimated that.”
“Solving customer support issues is extremely important to us, because we want people to have a positive Nexus One experience,” says a Google spokesperson. “We are trying to be as open and transparent as possible through our online customer help forums.”
Many of the customer complaints are centered about the device’s inability to connect to T-Mobile’s 3G network. The Nexus One does not pick up the 3G network or keeps switching to the slower EDGE network, say some user”Google provides a subsidy for devices purchased with T-Mobile USA service. If a consumer cancels service after 14 days, Google recoups this subsidy in the form of an equipment recovery fee,” says the Google spokesperson.
“After 120 days, the equipment recovery fee will no longer apply. This is standard practice for third party resellers of T-Mobile and other operators, and you will find similar policies for other mobile service resellers. The T-Mobile early termination fee is separate and handled by T-Mobile.”
Despite the problems, Google can bounce back, says Golvin. Customer dissatisfaction is likely to be just a small speed bump in the road for Google’s mobile ambitions, he says.
State to Investigate Smart Meter Customer Complaints
Posted by: | CommentsSmart Meters or Money–Hungry Meters? The switch from regular to digital meters is igniting public anger that Pacific Gas and Electric’s new Smart Meters are anything but.
“I’m afraid to turn-on my PG&E,” Customer April Ashford said.
Her utility bill more than tripled after PG&E replaced her old utility meter with the new digital device.
“I’ve never had a bill that high, never,” Ashford said.
It jumped from $276 in June of 2008 to $838 in June of 2009, according to the Fresno woman.
“We understand customers are concerned, particularly in tough economic times — when they see their energy costs go up,” PG&E Spokesperson Jeff Smith said.
Smith says Smart Meters have nothing to do with the hike. He says although the company has received hundreds of customer complaints — the reality is the higher bills were due to a scheduled rate increase and a very hot summer.
“We have tested over 1,100 Smart Meters and in each and every case the Smart Meter has tested that they are reading customer energy use accurately,” Smith said.
In October, hundreds of outraged customers packed the auditorium of the state building in downtown Fresno. Democratic State Senator Dean Florez of Shafter hosted the hearing, where he said the meters should be relied on and not feared.
78% of homes in Fresno County are now equipped with the digital device. If everything goes as planned Smart Meters will be installed in every home in the coming months, officials said.
PG&E is encouraging current Smart Meter customers to go www.pge.com to monitor their daily energy use and to see how every penny is spent. Customers like April Ashford say that’s $837.99 too late.
“I paid $838, it’s just not right,” Ashford said.
The PUC expects to choose an independent evaluator in December, a decision PG&E supports.
VONAGE Agreement Settles Marketing, Service Complaints
Posted by: | CommentsThe Internet-based phone company has agreed to pay $3 million to 32 states to settle complaints about marketing practices and poor customer service.
Maine is one of 32 states that have entered into a $3 million settlement agreement with VONAGE, an Internet-based telephone service. Maine Attorney General Janet Mills says the settlement requires VONAGE to change its business practices, including how it markets its service and handles consumer cancellation and refund requests.
Mills says VONAGE offered its customer service representatives incentives for retaining, or “saving,” customers who tried to cancel. As a result, many consumers complained of difficulty canceling their VONAGE service. Under the settlement, such incentives have been stricly limited and VONAGE is required to record and verify phone calls from customers trying to cancel.
In addition, Mills says VONAGE has to revise its offers of “free” services, money back guarantees and trial periods.
“This settlement globally resolves the states’ concerns about VONAGE’s deceptive marketing practices and poor customer service,” Mills says in a statement. Maine’s share of the settlement is $45,000.
Customer complaints seen as underutilized resource
Posted by: | CommentsCustomer complaints are the most underutilized resource in the hospitality industry today, said Andrew Schmidt in the white paper “How To Use Customer Complaints to Your Advantage.”
Restaurant operators need to train their staff to see such complaints as opportunities and how to effectively deal with unhappy customers, he said.
Jay Goltz, in the You’re the Boss/The Art of Running a Small Business blog in The New York Times, uses the S.A.V.E. approach to train his staff. The approach includes the following steps:
* Sympathize. Letting the customer know you understand his feelings can be calming.
* Act. Let the customer know you will do something solve the problem with a specific action.
* Vindicate. Let the customer know that the incident is out of the ordinary and not acceptable.
* Eat something. Give them a free menu item or discount as an apology.
No matter how hard you try, things are bound to go wrong once in a while. Food gets burned, orders get forgotten in the middle of a dinner rush, or new servers simply forget all their training. No matter the reason for the complaint, the important thing is to try and please the customer and send them home knowing that, yes there was a problem, but it is not typical of your establishment. Let them know that you, the owner, value their comments and their business.
Shoppers Drug Mart Complaints – Rude, racist, poor service
Posted by: | CommentsI am a brown skin woman and I was there on a weekday in the afternoon for the first time at that store to purchase some flyer items.
A white cashier named Linda, looked at me disgustingly and said arrogantly you black people can only afford sale price items. There is a limit of 4 per customer. You were here the other day and got the same items.
She asked me to leave because the owner said only 4 items per customer. She said our owner is black and her boss was black too. What are you going to complain about your black skin?
What an experience for shopping there for the first time.
Costco pulls dolls after customer complaints about racist connotations
Posted by: | CommentsCostco Wholesale Corp. has pulled from store shelves around the country African-American dolls, packaged with stuffed monkeys and wearing hats that said “Lil’ Monkey,” after a customer complained about the toys’ racist connotations.
Costco pulled the dolls from its shelves in late July after a customer complained about the dolls. More complaints came in after the customer sent out an e-mail blast, said Art Jackson, a vice president at Costco.
He noted that there were three versions of the doll, representing different ethnicities. All three were pulled from the shelves.
Costco, based in Washington state, said it takes full responsibility for putting the dolls on the shelves. Jackson said he has “expressed our regrets that this did have the tendency to offend some folks .”
LG Electronics (Spain España) DVD Player Flaw & Customer Service Disaster
Posted by: | CommentsI am an American living in Spain who was looking for a DVD player with a hard drive to record programs while I am at work. Besides a programmed record mode (necessary to record when I am not at home), I was looking for a machine capable of recording in 2 languages (in Europe, many American shows are shown in translation, but a second audio channel offers the English audio feed).
The LG 497H DVD player with hard drive seemed to fit the bill. The shop assistant assured me that yes, indeed, it could record in 2 languages, and of course, it had a programmed record setting. I bought the apparatus.
When I connected my LG DVD player, I found that it was capable of recording in English when I manually hit the record button. But, I could NOT record in English when I programmed it. After 2 days of configuring and trying every possible thing I could think of to get it to record in English using the programmed recording mode, I gave up and decided to contact customer services. I originally planned to do this by telephone, however, LG’s customer service number in Spain is pay-to-call number (similar to a 900 number rather than an 800 number in the USA). Therefore, to contact LG’s customer service by phone, I needed to pay, even though the headquarters are in my own city, Madrid.
Instead, I chose to send an email. After all, I had only one simple question. Specifically, “I can record the second audio channel manually, but I cannot get the DVD player to record in English when I program it. How does one accomplish this?” I DID NOT HEAR BACK FROM LG FOR 13 DAYS!
13 days later, I received an email, describing how to record in English manually, but not answering my question as to how to accomplish this with a programmed recording. I decided to pay the “LG customer service telephone ransom” and coughed up the money necessary to contact LG Spain by telephone. After a few minutes, a technician gave me some shocking news. The LG (RHT497H) DVD is capable of recording the second audio channel, and is capable of programmed recording, however, the 2 features do not work together — meaning that programmed recordings (unlike manual recordings) can only be made of the primary language. This is to say, it is impossible to program the apparatus to record the English audio feed!
I could not believe my ears! Why would an electronics company make a programmable DVD player capable of recording 2 audio feeds, but neglect to allow for programmed recording of 2 audio feeds? I did not have a good answer, but since the DVD player was incapable of performing the function for which I had bought it, I decided to return it. When I arrived at the store the next day, they informed me that my 15-day return period had expired, so they could not help me. I would have to contact LG.
OK. LG’s DVD player (RHT 497H) surely has a design flaw. Add to this the fact that LG’s 13-day delay in answering my simple question meant that I could no longer return the apparatus to the store where I had purchased it. I figured this was an open and shut case. I would write an email explaining my problem with the device, and how LG took nearly 2 weeks to answer my question, and I would get a refund, or an exchange for a DVD player that functions properly (capable of recording English and Spanish audio feeds when programmed).
I wrote LG Spain two more times explaining my problems. In both emails I asked for a refund or exchange. Both responses took over 1 week to arrive. Both described how to record in English manually, which was no help, since I needed to record in English when not at home. Neither response even mentioned my request for a refund or exchange.
Since my emails were proving futile, I decided once again to “pay for the privilege” of contacting LG’s Spanish customer service department. I explained my case in my best Spanish, how the machine did not perform the functions that I needed, the delay in responses to my emails, and how this delay meant that I could no longer return the machine.
The polite operator told me she would speak to her superiors about my case, and contact me in the next few hours. She did, but not with the news I wanted to hear.
Her superiors had decided that since neither the manual nor the product description on the website ever specifically states that the Dual Audio Record and Programmed Record work together, I have no case. This is not very logical. I think if one asks the question, “Can this DVD player record English and Spanish versions of the TV programs here in Spain?” and the answer is yes, and then asks, “Can this DVD player be set up to record when I am not at home?” and the answer is yes — it is only logical to assume that you can record both languages with a programmed recording.
I then asked about the 13-day delay in answering my question. When I wrote the original email, I had no idea that I could not record in English with a programmed recording. I thought that LG’s customer service department would tell me how to configure my menus to do so. That this was an impossibility never entered my mind. Therefore, I was not in a rush to return the device. However, LG’s 13-day delay in answering my query meant that I was stuck with a DVD player that was of no use to me. Since LG’s shoddy customer service caused me to be unable to return the DVD player, could they at least help me exchange it for a model capable of recording the way I need it to?
The receptionist told me all she could offer me for the delay were her sincerest apologies. I was flabbergasted! I asked to speak to her superior, so I could try to explain my situation. She told me that there was nothing her superior could do for me either, and refused to put me through.
So, the LG RHT 497H was designed poorly. This is to say, some engineer thought it would be a good idea to allow for dual language recording, and a good idea to allow programmed recording, but overlooked completely the fact that someone might want to use the 2 features together.
And, LG Spain’s Customer Service Department took nearly 2 weeks to answer a simple question, which resulted in my being unable to return the poorly designed product.
And, despite my having pointed out both the design flaw, and the poor customer service which has caused me such trouble, LG has begged my forgiveness, but refused to help me!
For any foreign resident living in Spain looking to purchase consumer electronics equipment, learn from my experiences. If you think you might need to use the customer service department, you would be wise to choose a company other than LG España.
4 Better Ways to Handle Complaints
Posted by: | CommentsIf you WOW a customer at the Moment of Truth , the average customer will walk away and tell 5 people about the experience.
If you fail to meet the customer’s expectations at the Moment of Truth , customers are very likely to tell 11 people about the problem they had with your company.
If you drop the ball with customers at the Moment of Truth , but rebound with a quick customer recovery, research shows that the customer will tell up to 17 people about your service recovery.
Did you get that? Customers will tell 5 people if you WOW them, BUT if there’s a problem and you quickly fix it, they will tell more than 3 times as many people as they would if no problem had occurred at all.
One of the fastest and easiest ways to grow your bottom line is to equip your front line employees with skills to respond to complaints and problems in such a way that they completely regain goodwill and restore the customer’s confidence.
Read on to find out exactly how to do this.
1. Resolve problems as quickly as possible.
The faster the resolution, the better the chances for maintaining loyalty. TARP, Inc. found that ninety-five percent of complaining customers would remain loyal if their complaint was resolved on the first contact. That number dropped to seventy percent when the complaint was not immediately resolved. In fact, the speed of resolution has a greater impact on future loyalty than the resolution itself. Strive to resolve complaints on the first contact and when that isn’t possible, final resolution should occur within 5 – 10 business days in order to maintain and build loyalty.
2. Give Them Something.
Coupons, product samples, and other freebies have a definite impact on loyalty after a service failure has occurred. Years ago American Airlines gave me 7000 frequent flyer miles after I experienced a gruesome delay. And that gift of miles, was enough to make me come back. But don’t take my word for it: A study conducted for the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals (SOCAP) found that 58% of complaining consumers who received something in the mail following their contact with consumer affairs departments were delighted, versus only 40% of those who did not receive anything. Giving customers token items, such as coupons or product samples, after a service failure both increases the perception of value and serves to maintain loyalty.
3. Only allow the friendliest, most helpful, and diplomatic employees to talk to customers.
Employee courtesy and attitude are critical factors in regaining the goodwill of customers who have experienced a problem. Customers contacting a company with a problem want to talk to a person who is courteous, professional sympathetic and understanding. Additionally, employees must be skilled in communicating with diplomacy, expressing empathy, and representing the company credibly and convincingly during times of consumer distress. The attitudes and behaviors of frontline professionals form powerful lasting impressions with customers whether these impressions are positive or negative.
4. Encourage your people to “Be Gumby”.
You remember Gumby don’t you—the green rubbery figure that Eddie Murphy portrayed so hilariously on Saturday Night Live? In my seminars I teach employees to “Be Gumby” when it comes to dealing with customers. By being Gumby, I mean do whatever it takes to service customers. This includes being flexible, bending over backwards, making a 180 degree turn when you were heading another direction on a non customer-impacting task. It might even mean standing on your head. The idea is to be completely customer focused. Being Gumby guarantees you’ll always make customers happy.