A recent column of mine described how deleting the cheese on a burger resulted in our not receiving a $10 credit. It was an example of a breakdown in customer service. Suffice it to say that contacting corporate management resolved the situation. But the question remains: Why does such a minor problem have to be escalated to senior management?
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Here’s another situation that defies logic and sound customer service. It is an example of a major company not empowering its staff to resolve relatively simple customer complaints. I think the best way to explain our dilemma would be to share with you a letter I wrote to the CEO of a national home builder whose name I’ve decided not to disclose.
Dear Mr. CEO,
We have lived in our home since 1988 and are the original owners. The home has stood the test of time, and we are very pleased with the construction, although the aluminum windows tend to ice up during the winter.
Today I am writing about what I think was a design flaw. The downspout over the garage area directs water over the roof and then into a gutter below.
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Comments
Life in the gutter
I enjoyed your article.
I just wanted to tell you that you would have made
my father ecstatic. You too could have been brothers.
regards
eric freischlag
Eric
I don't know your Dad but based on his agreeing with me as you point out, he is outstanding!
Eric
I don't know your Dad but based on his agreeing with me as you point out, he is outstanding!
Wow...
Bill,
I have to say, your actions seem a bit extreme for $200 worth of repairs to 23 year old home. It is not unreasonable for wood/water damage to occur after two decades of exposure. Although some of the customer service actions you describe seem clumsy at best, I am not sure the initial response was that bad. The home is well beyond their stated warranty, and the repair is relatively slight. I would say it is foolish and unsound business practice for ANY company to just start sending $200 checks to customers just because they ask for it. I would be more shocked if they had just said "OK, we take your word for it, here is $200." The "design flaw" might be your opinion, and you might be right, but it is foolish to think that you are entitled to a check 23 years after the fact. It is even more foolish to think that the firm would just acquiesce. Just my two cents.
BTW, I am not a contractor, and not with any building company. I have just owned enough homes to know these things happen.
Rick
Today's Column
Hi Rick - thanks for your comments. The company didn't take my word for the damage because they sent out an inspector who agreed that there was damage but denied that it was a design flaw. Other experts I contacted agreed that when water cascades down the roof it will eventually cause irreparable damage. As such, most reputable builders have changed their plans and no longer have water running down the roof into a gutter. So the design flaw was not only my opinion but one shared by other professionals in the business.
In so far as my asking for $200 - I thought it was a small amount to maintain good customer relations. Yes, the way it was handled was more than clumsy - it was an abomination! And why shouldn't we demand that products last a lifetime! Heck, L.L. Bean guarantees their products forever so does Tilley Endurables and so do many other companies. Here in Detroit auto makers recall cars after ten years long after the warranty has expired because they want to remain good stewards and they want to retain customers something my builder evidently abhors.
In an event, I accomplished what I sent out to do. And just maybe the builder learned a valuable lesson - don't mess with a retiree who has time on his hands!
BTW...
Quality Digest automatically signs you up for their emails and emails from "third parties" when you register on their site, and then tells you that you can "opt out." This is black-hat marketing at it's worst. Best practices state that users should be able to select if they want to receive anything from the publication AND/OR third parties UP FRONT. I would love an expose on that:)
Opt In
Rick, when you register on our web site there is a message right next to the email address box on the sign-up form that states that by signing up you are going to get email from us. If you don't want to sign up, you don't have to. You don't have to be a member of our site to read the content on the site.
Or, you can sign-up and then simply out out of the very first newsletter you get from us by clicking the opt out link at the bottom of the newsletter. The same holds true for the marketing email. We are working with our developers on a method that allows you to pick and choose if you want to receive the e-newsletter, marketing announcements, both or neither. That should be available within the next 3 months when we revamp our site's back-end.
Thanks
Agree but for a different reason
I agree with Rick regarding the time between your home purchase and this event. But I do agree with you about the Customer Service you received. The responses sounded a bit like "you are an idiot, of course we won't address this issue," and it seemed to come from several "team" members. (It seems odd that you would receive several responses, not a single response that addressed your issue.) I think the company needs to look into their customer service and how to improve. Even the last note to you seemed to be a brush off.
today's column
Keith - frankly I thought my request for $200 was a no brainer and expected to receive a check in a couple of weeks. On the contrary - I entered into a world of denials, subterfuge, buck passing, and poor customer service. It took a while but the company finally stepped out to the plate and did something they should have done early on.
Bill - love your tenacity.
Bill - love your tenacity. Unfortunately, I too have had similar experiences with companies that, although they boast "great customer service," fall short.
I am of the opinion that many of these companies feel that, due to economy of scale, they can ignore a customer or two. Afterall, there are so many people out there these days who want what they offer why should they care about one or two individuals.
Combine that attitude with the fact that many Americans don't see the worth in writing and complaining. Many people, unlike yourself, just suck up the expense, inconvenience or bother and just move on. Sadly, many of these dissatisfied customers even return to the offender as they don't think they have any other options (or choose not to look for other options).
Tenacity!
RNEWCOMER - my purpose in this episode was to encourage, er, force, the company to do what most companies do - listen to customers! Not once in the two months I communicated with the builder did I hear the words: "we are sorry" - "we regret" or "we understand your situation". It was as if they had adhered to the words of Nancy Reagan - "Just say NO"!
Too many lawyers
Chuck G
Bill, just one more reason why this foolishness gets worse and worse, TOO MANY LAWYERS. As you stated, they went to EXTRAORDINARY measures to insure that they never publicly or privately admitted fault, going so far as to drop a pair of $100's off at your house, like the mafia (Time to move on, Bill!, they warned...did the bills smell of cigar smoke??). Afraid of legal action, or paying out claims for others, they would rather spend thousands dilly-dallying around and sending emails than look at the problem, say 'yes' or 'no', and then DO it...things like this rarely happened when I was younger, I do believe that.
Chuck Greer
Life in the gutter column
Chcuk - well said! Some of the Quality Digest readers wondered why I would spend so much time for $200. It wasn't the money - it was the principle. And yes, the company was afraid of setting a precedent. But there seems to be culture there wherein there is no plan to meet or exceed the expectations of customers. If you think I spent a lot of time on this think about the time the company spent denying my claim for two months. All of us have examples of exemplary companies that have provided great customer service - Keurig coffeemakers is certainly one! Our coffeemaker had a minor problem after one year and the company replaced it - no questions asked! Just received it today - my birthday by the way - and we're talking about a $239 item! Keurig stands beyond their products!
No cigar smoke on the $100 bills and no horse head in my bed as yet - but seems as if there are some trained flying vultures hovering over our home in the morning!
Chuck - thanks for writing. Now off to my next quest!
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