Customer Service: The good (Bestem) and the ugly

[bobhamlin]

"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." Thus began "The Tale of Two Cities." I earned my first high school "F" with that book, because I had started working and tried to fake my way through class without actually reading one of my English teacher's favorite books (She loved the symbolism and, as I learned, symbolism depends heavily on surrounding context and, if one doesn't read the context, one tends to be "un peu" off-the-wall in one's interpretations.)

I recently had two problems with purchases over the internet. Both companies shipped the wrong product. How they subsequently resolved the problem speaks volumes.

For my project Nomad, I decided to purchase Bestem Deluxe saddlebag liners: They have external pockets. I knew they sold for about $99 on eBay, but I googled the liners and found a set on Bestem for $91. When my liners arrived, they were obviously the "regular" liners, not the "deluxe." I immediately returned to the website and saw that the pictures were deluxe, but the words did not say deluxe, so I copied the screen and included that .jpg when I emailed Bestem customer service, explaining the problem and asking for their next step.

I received a curt reply that I ordered "regular," not deluxe. On return, I succinctly acknowledged that, although the words might not say "deluxe," the two graphics on the page clearly showed the "deluxe" version of the liners. Once again, I attached a screen grab.

A reply from the same person re-asserted that my order was not for the "deluxe" liners. Resisting all urge to go personal with this individual, I made the case that I could not have made a mistake. It was their site, their pictures and the "buy it now" button is how I ordered. I ended my controlled diatribe with the statement that if she felt the urge to reiterate that I ordered "regular," please have a supervisor contact me.

Two days passed without a response and I began steaming. I called customer service and got voice mail -- with what I imagine to be her voice. I left a clipped, professional message that restated the problem and that I did not appreciate being ignored.

Later that day, I received an email from Will, another individual at Bestem. He apologized that the original service person was out sick. He asked for more information, sent me the correct liners and a return sticker for UPS. His action saved a customer and, since I was very prepared to explain my dissatisfaction on the Vulcan boards (I hadn't made that threat yet), he also saved negative feedback.

My other experience took a different turn. On eBay, UnlimitedCellular.com sent me a wrong case for my GPS. In response to my email, Victor sent an RMA #. I returned the case on my dime, then received an email from Victor that a refund would take 7-10 days to process. I had assumed that they would send the correct product, so I emailed for a clarification. Victor sent me the same boilerplate response, obviously not having read my question.

After my second email, he curtly responded that I was getting a refund. I next asked Victor about reimbursing my return postage. I received a response that it was not their "policy" to authorize return postage on certain products. That struck a nerve.

I emailed Victor and basically questioned their policy that because they screwed up, a customer should lose money. "Brian" responded and apologized, but that was, afterall, policy. I made a stronger case to Brian (a lot of edits on my part). In response, Victor sent me an email that asked me to return the wrong case. I responded to Victor that he had already sent me an email acknowledging the return of the wrong case. Victor sent me a boilerplate email saying that a refund would take about 7-10 business days. Since the return postage was only $3, I made a business decision to stop pursuing it with them.

Beware: a 98% rating on eBay means that 2 out of a 100 purchasers had problems. This was the first time I was in the "ticked off" crowd. I am a 2%er! Unlimitedcellular.com doesn't print the policies that mean you will lose money when they screw up. It's really too bad eBay feedback is limited to only 80 characters.

(I had my own business and used to teach customer service, so these responses hit a little close to home.)

[radco]

Dont you ove it when you get the run around from some smart A$$ jerk!!! I had a similar problem w/ Roadhouse Exhaust,, with a broken weld on the exhaust,, back and forth ,then voice mail no response,,, finally got resolved 3 months later,,Glad I had the stock exhaust for my Honda :)... That was with the old owners of Roadhouse,, Rude Sales Reps have NO PLACE in the work force!!! Rich

[caddman11]

I don't think anyone will have problems with Roadhouse any longer. Contact Dusty there, he's really good.

[redeye]

On the subject of customer service;

Last week I asked an E-Bay vendor about some M/C boots they were selling.

My question was, "are these boots insulated"?

Their reply was, "I have no idea". They had 100's of these boots in their ad.

I returned an e-mail stating that their reply did not instill confidence in their company let alone the product they are selling.

BUYER BEWARE..........-Rich

[cactusjack]

I've said this before, but I think it bears mentioning again. With the popularity of the internet and sites like eBay, anyone can create an online store and sell crap out of their garage or mother's basement. This doesn't make them a businessman, in my book - just someone selling crap online. What makes a true businessman (or woman, to be fair) is the ability to take care of their customers. I'm sure some of these people couldn't care less about the customer, they like being an online merchant because they can do it while sitting around their family room in their skivvies all day.

Nothing irks me more than buying something online and not knowing the status of your order until the UPS guy knocks on your door 2 weeks later. Communication is key in business and even more so when conducting business in an impersonal environment, where they don't even have to face the customer. I'll be honest, I've never been scammed by an online merchant. I've seen questionable customer service skills, but I've never not received what I ordered and the few returns I've had to do have gone well.

Trust is important. Go with your gut - if you don't trust the website, the quality of the product, or the vendor himself - why would you want to blindly send them money?

I order 95% of my motorcycle-related stuff online. It's cheaper because you aren't paying local store markup and state sales tax, and even if you have to pay shipping, you're saving money over dealer prices. It's convenient, because I can sit at home and order something and not have to drive 50 miles across town and waste gas and time fighting traffic to get it. If you're an instant gratification type, online shopping may not work for you. Chances are whatever you order from a dealer, he will have to order in anyway.

Just be careful who you're buying from online. Sometimes, it's hard to tell what kind of outfit you are dealing with. It could be some guy working out of his mother's basement, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as he understands how to treat customers.

Sorry this was a little long-winded. Customer service is a big deal to me, and I am willing to pay a little more to be treated right.

[timebandit]

In my opinion, E-bay sales is like a garage sale that covers the whole planet!
You can get good deals like you can get "scre.ed"

[rksaw]

Customer Service is going the same way as Chivalry...it is a dying art and neglected at best. Sometimes it is worth paying more for a product just to know that you are treated with dignity and respect. Being cheap comes with a price too.
Rich

[timebandit]

Originally Posted by rksaw

Customer Service is going the same way as Chivalry...it is a dying art and neglected at best. Sometimes it is worth paying more for a product just to know that you are treated with dignity and respect. Being cheap comes with a price too.
Rich

That I agree fully with.
I have my own business and sorry to say but the cheap don't get the same treatment and quality service as my loyal customers!

The only exception is if you own a NOMAD! Lol!

[jastearns]

I buy the majority of my motorcycle and computer parts online. I have had good service from companies and bad service from some but usually got the result I wanted.

A lot of people who sell online or on ebay use drop shippers so they don't have a clue what the product looks like or not. I have a website that sells and resells information products and I am affiliate for some physical products. I always buy the information products and review them before I put them on the site. I try to use the physical products that I'm an affiliate for as that is the right thing to do. I will admit that on a travel site that I can't use all the affiliate items as I would rather travel on the motorcycle and I haven't taken many cruises...

My biggest pet peeve is that whenever I order something, I specifically ask in the comments to send me the shipping company and when the tracking information. I also hate it when you don't hear a thing until the UPS person comes or I stumble over the part as the Fedex person left it there in the morning and luckily it is still there when I get home after work.

Sorry for the tirade.

[landman]

i also agree with rich.if you are looking for the lowest possible
price you may not allways get 5 star service.like the old saying
goes [ you get what you pay for ].