Bad companies, and good
Categories : Personal |
Even in the internet age, it seems that bad customer service is not a thing of the past. Here’s a couple of examples of unimpressive companies – I’ll name and shame them right here…
First candidate is iiNet, my Internet provider. On Friday I received an email from them about changes to my broadband plan. Basically I have two options. One is to keep paying the same amount, and receive the same monthly downloads at a third of my current speed. Or I can pay $20 more to have the same speed and download quotas I have now. What a great deal! I almost feel betrayed since I’ve been a loyal iiNet customer for many years, since they were just a small dialup ISP. I have even recommended them to a lot of friends and family – and this is how they repay me! I think iiNet are about to lose a lot of customers. Not good.
Second candidate is Word Christian bookstore, Australias #2 Christian bookshop. A week and a half ago I ordered some things from their latest catalog online, and aside from the initial confirmation email I have heard nothing since. I can get things shipped from Amazon faster than that, and Word’s main Australian competitor Koorong will usually have a package on my doorstep within 2-3 days (their shipping is A1, although their prices and range leave a bit to be desired.) I easily could have ordered the same stuff from Koorong even though Word was a few dollars cheaper, and had it by now. I won’t be making the same mistake again. Amazon and Koorong only from now on.
In the interests of balance, I’ll just give a quick example of good customer service. This week I made an order with OfficeWorks Business Direct for a new desk chair. It arrived super fast, and they also sent a free gift box because I was a “new customer” with some free stuff and the biggest stationery catalogue I’ve ever seen (other stationery lovers will appreciate how cool that is!) – now there’s a business that goes above and beyond. Well done Office Works.
