The upcoming wedding of my boyfriend's friend from college recently gave me an excuse to buy some new party clothes. With the dress (a gorgeous Calvin Klein from Filene's Basement, thank you very much) out of the way and the shoes settled on, I realized I needed a matching handbag for the occasion. With our departure date for the Pennsylvania wedding just over a week away, I knew I was cutting it close. But I set off on an online shopping journey anyway, confident that the ever-available option of expedited shipping would solve my problem.
After an exhaustive search, I added my perfect yellow faux-crocodile oversized clutch (I needed one of those anyway) to my Ebags.com shopping cart and proceeded to the checkout. I consulted a handy chart to see which shipping option I should select in order to receive my coveted clutch no later than next Wednesday, and found that NONE of the delivery options would cut it. Due to my addiction to Amazon's free 2-day shipping, this left me baffled. So, I picked up the phone and called Customer Service.
I reached a live customer service representative quickly (a plus), and I'll also give her props for being pretty friendly. However, she was ultimately unable to do anything to improve the situation. Ebags.com's 5-day warehouse turnaround time is, apparently, set in stone (for this particular product, at least). I find that sort of unacceptable. Lots of - if not all - online shoppers are accustomed to the convenience of overnight or expedited shipping when needed. My idea of expedited shipping is 2 or 3 business days - not 6.
[Rich points out that Ebags.com might not keep inventory of the items they show on their site. When I place an order, they then have to order that item from their supplier, adding another layer and additonal time to fulfill my order. I don't really care about this. We live in a world where instant communication and streamlined inventories are expected. Figure it out.]
Ebags.com has a great selection and friendly customer service, but they need to do one of two things: either offer standard expedited shipping on every item and delight customers every single time they place and order, or give their customer service team the option of rushing orders in the case of a fashion emergency such as mine. Check minus for Ebags.com.
Resolution: I couldn't possibly live without this bag and had no luck finding a suitable alternative from another vendor, so I had it shipped to a friend who I would be visiting en route to the wedding. I hated to give my business to Ebags.com but couldn't stand the thought of an unsatisfactory alternative. ::sigh::
Monday, June 30, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
High__ _____ wire___ _______ ______ performance
There is a T-Mobile ad running on TV right now that bugs me for a couple of reasons. The ad is about a transient, couchsurfing twentysomething who spends the 30-second spot gushing about the great coverage he gets from T-Mobile in whatever disparate corner of America he happens to find himself in.
First of all, as a T-Mobile customer, I'm going to dispute the claim of stellar coverage and call quality. I haven't found this to be the case. I'll often miss key parts of what the person on the other end of the phone is saying to me, resulting in confusion for me and aggravation for my caller ("What? You want me to pick up a man on a farm?! Huh? Ohhh.. pick up some apples from the man at the farmstand? Yeah, I guess that makes more sense.").
The thing that really makes me scratch my head, though, is at the end of the commercial where T-Mobile does a little bragging about winning the "highest-ranked wireless customer service performance 7 times in a row" from J.D. Power and Associates. I'm fine with T-Mobile touting this award - in fact, I think it's a well-deserved accolade. The few (pre-blog) times I've had to call the customer service line I've been almost shocked by the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff. So I don't have a problem with promoting the award, it just doesn't really fit in the context of this commercial. This customer service award has nothing to do with call quality, so it seems strange stuck on the end like it is. It's almost like T-Mobile is trying to trick the viewers by talking about call quality and then quickly flashing an award on the screen, leading to the assumption that the award applies to call quality. I smell a bait and switch!
I hope no one out there got tricked by this tomfoolery. If you did, unless you live out West or in the Southeast, you're going to need that excellent customer service to call and complain about all the important conversations you're going to miss.
"I'm getting married to that boy who's a friend of Lindsay's!"
"What?! You're getting married to my boyfriend?!?!"
Because I still think T-Mobile has great customer service that IS worth bragging about, I'm going to give this a lukewarm check.
First of all, as a T-Mobile customer, I'm going to dispute the claim of stellar coverage and call quality. I haven't found this to be the case. I'll often miss key parts of what the person on the other end of the phone is saying to me, resulting in confusion for me and aggravation for my caller ("What? You want me to pick up a man on a farm?! Huh? Ohhh.. pick up some apples from the man at the farmstand? Yeah, I guess that makes more sense.").
The thing that really makes me scratch my head, though, is at the end of the commercial where T-Mobile does a little bragging about winning the "highest-ranked wireless customer service performance 7 times in a row" from J.D. Power and Associates. I'm fine with T-Mobile touting this award - in fact, I think it's a well-deserved accolade. The few (pre-blog) times I've had to call the customer service line I've been almost shocked by the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff. So I don't have a problem with promoting the award, it just doesn't really fit in the context of this commercial. This customer service award has nothing to do with call quality, so it seems strange stuck on the end like it is. It's almost like T-Mobile is trying to trick the viewers by talking about call quality and then quickly flashing an award on the screen, leading to the assumption that the award applies to call quality. I smell a bait and switch!
I hope no one out there got tricked by this tomfoolery. If you did, unless you live out West or in the Southeast, you're going to need that excellent customer service to call and complain about all the important conversations you're going to miss.
"I'm getting married to that boy who's a friend of Lindsay's!"
"What?! You're getting married to my boyfriend?!?!"
Because I still think T-Mobile has great customer service that IS worth bragging about, I'm going to give this a lukewarm check.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Management to the Maxx
At the checkout counter of TJ Maxx the other day, I witnessed a conversation between a manager and a young sales associate that should never have taken place at all, much less in front of paying customers. Although I did not hear the entirety of the conversation, I caught the most important part:
Associate: "But... she asked to speak to a manager."
Manager: "Well, I'm out in back with the guy who's trying to fix my computer. I don't have time for this!"
Associate: "Okay, so what should I do when someone asks for a manager?"
Manager (angrily): "Tell her I'm busy!" (then, demonstrating the technique as if speaking to a 5-year-old): "The manager is tied up right now."
Associate (trying it out): "The manager is tied up right now. Huh."
At this point, the manager walked off in a huff and the associate turned and looked straight at me. The horrified look on my face must have made him feel a little embarrassed, because he put his head down and walked away.
Anyone who's ever worked in retail knows how awful managers of these establishments can be at times. But a big part of a retail manager's job is to practice customer diplomacy - make the customer feel important (because she's talking to "a manager") and resolve her problem. This particular manager was not only passing off his duties to a young and inexperienced associate, he was putting that associate in a terrible position. I have no doubt that for the rest of his shift, that associate was completely stressed out, angry at his manager, and - through no fault of his own - making some customers very angry. Check minus for TJ Maxx.
Associate: "But... she asked to speak to a manager."
Manager: "Well, I'm out in back with the guy who's trying to fix my computer. I don't have time for this!"
Associate: "Okay, so what should I do when someone asks for a manager?"
Manager (angrily): "Tell her I'm busy!" (then, demonstrating the technique as if speaking to a 5-year-old): "The manager is tied up right now."
Associate (trying it out): "The manager is tied up right now. Huh."
At this point, the manager walked off in a huff and the associate turned and looked straight at me. The horrified look on my face must have made him feel a little embarrassed, because he put his head down and walked away.
Anyone who's ever worked in retail knows how awful managers of these establishments can be at times. But a big part of a retail manager's job is to practice customer diplomacy - make the customer feel important (because she's talking to "a manager") and resolve her problem. This particular manager was not only passing off his duties to a young and inexperienced associate, he was putting that associate in a terrible position. I have no doubt that for the rest of his shift, that associate was completely stressed out, angry at his manager, and - through no fault of his own - making some customers very angry. Check minus for TJ Maxx.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Service that should be copied
I'm sure anyone who works in an office, like me, is plagued by the fear of technology failing at inopportune moments. In my office, our printer is notoriously finicky. This is a major problem for me since I provide all sorts of printed materials to co-workers and customers. So when the printer fails, I kind of panic.
Each time my sweaty palm picks up the phone to call Xerox for service, I get through to a real person in record time (never more than 30 seconds on hold), provide only minor details about the problem I'm experiencing, and am promised a callback from my local technician within an hour. This swift, simple process never fails to calm my nerves. I practically expect the person on the other end of the phone to sense my anxiety and coo in a motherly tone, "There, there. It's going to be okay. We'll make your printer good as new! Now, how about a cookie?"
The amazing thing about that promised callback is that it actually happens. The local technician quickly calls me back to get a few more details about the problem, and schedules a time within the next 24 hours when he can come check it out. He either arrives on schedule or calls me to let me know he'll be late, and he stays until the machine is fixed. If he's not able to fix the problem on the spot, he either returns quickly with a missing part, or tells me exactly what the holdup us, what he's going to do about it, and when he's going to do it.
The only time I was momentarily dissatisfied with Xerox's service is when I thought the technician was playing music on his laptop while he was working (in the middle of the office!!). Turns out, what I heard was hold music - the technician was actually on hold with another specialist, and had turned his speakerphone on so he could do something else while he was waiting. A service technician multitasking?! Sure provides a stark contrast to the laziness of other companies' technicians, as reported, and videotaped by some consumers.
Although I will always harbor a simmering grudge against the temperamental machine itself, I can't help but be impressed with the service Xerox delivers. Check plus for Xerox!
Each time my sweaty palm picks up the phone to call Xerox for service, I get through to a real person in record time (never more than 30 seconds on hold), provide only minor details about the problem I'm experiencing, and am promised a callback from my local technician within an hour. This swift, simple process never fails to calm my nerves. I practically expect the person on the other end of the phone to sense my anxiety and coo in a motherly tone, "There, there. It's going to be okay. We'll make your printer good as new! Now, how about a cookie?"
The amazing thing about that promised callback is that it actually happens. The local technician quickly calls me back to get a few more details about the problem, and schedules a time within the next 24 hours when he can come check it out. He either arrives on schedule or calls me to let me know he'll be late, and he stays until the machine is fixed. If he's not able to fix the problem on the spot, he either returns quickly with a missing part, or tells me exactly what the holdup us, what he's going to do about it, and when he's going to do it.
The only time I was momentarily dissatisfied with Xerox's service is when I thought the technician was playing music on his laptop while he was working (in the middle of the office!!). Turns out, what I heard was hold music - the technician was actually on hold with another specialist, and had turned his speakerphone on so he could do something else while he was waiting. A service technician multitasking?! Sure provides a stark contrast to the laziness of other companies' technicians, as reported, and videotaped by some consumers.
Although I will always harbor a simmering grudge against the temperamental machine itself, I can't help but be impressed with the service Xerox delivers. Check plus for Xerox!
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