Comments on: Customer Service can make you come back (or stay the heck away!)

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 06:34:34 +0000

Agree 100%. With over 10 years in the service industy, nothing ticks me off more than rude frontliners who not only look so sour you feel you’re talking to a lemon, they don’t even say please or thank you.

And so, now that I have my own home based food delivery biz, customer service is up there with food quality in terms of priority. Rain or shine, whether I’m sweating like a pig or dripping wet like a fish, I deliver on time, with a smile and a big thank you. I don’t expect anything in return, but I know that my customers appreciate and respect our level of customer service because we get lots of referrals.

By: Anna Chadwick

Anna Chadwick — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:46:08 +0000

Banks are the worst offenders in my opinion. They have all the power, they have your money and they can put your life on hold if they feel like it. I read somewhere that you are more likely to get hit by a car than you are to change your bank. Oh don’t get me started …
Your shop, OTOH, has wonderful customer service and I will always come back for bag bits. I run an Etsy shop (don’t we all ) and I got the most wonderful feedback from a first timer who really appreciated the extra little touches I added to her order – she had only used ebay before. She’ll now tell all her friends and hopefully be back again. Why can’t everyone make the effort?

Anna Chadwick’s last blog post..Getting into a lather

By: Tina

Tina — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 04:37:31 +0000

I recently ordered from a site for the first time. Each item I ordered had a quantity number next to it, to show how many they had in STOCK. When I got an email letting me know that only 2 of my 4 items would be shipped, I enquired. Turns out I was pre-ordering. Even though they showed it was in stock, they wouldn't be getting it for another 2 months! They should have mentioned that. Then it turns out that the company hadn't put in the order to receive those items. After a couple months they placed the order and it was back ordered! Why sell and take my money when they didn't even know when they would be carrying it. After 2.5 months, I finally received my order and it was wrong! They asked me to send it back but they weren't going to refund the shipping cost. Why did they expect me to pay for their mistake? SIGH. Tina's last blog post..New Target Bag

By: Kathi D

Kathi D — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 04:34:39 +0000

I couldn’t agree with you more! Even in a doctor’s office, you may have the world’s premier doctor, but if the front desk staff are uncaring and/or incompetent, it sours the deal completely (at least for me).

My worst customer service recently was from Home Depot (huge chain in the US). It is too long and boring a story to recount here, but I will say that it involved everything from lack of attention to detail, no follow-through, incompetence and downright rudeness. It took them 2 months to credit my account with $1300 I had spent, to boot. I used to be a regular customer, but never again. Funny, eh, since I was mistreated by one small part of a huge chain, yet it gave me a bad taste about the whole operation and I just won’t deal with them any more.

I notice good service and I take pains to let people know when I get it. I will ask who (higher up) I should contact to let them know how well I was treated. And then I do it. I would much rather compliment than complain (but I won’t hesitate to complain mightily if it’s called for!).

By: Melanie

Melanie — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 03:47:39 +0000

I sell on eBay so I make sure that I send items either the day or at the latest, the day after a customer has paid. I email the customer to let them know that their order is on the way. I also offer full refunds, though am happy to say, very few people have ever asked for one. I add a little personal note in with each parcel as well. But really, I see that as the basics of decent service.

When weight of the parcel allows, I add little extras in that I think the customer will like. For example, if they’ve bought a piece of fabric, I’ll add some other small pieces in. If they’ve bought paper or stickers, I add some more of those pieces in. If they’ve bought a gift item or a kimono, I try to add something like a handmade bookmark. Mind you, sometimes, I have trouble of thinking of what to add for some of my male customers….

I have many regular customers, so I’ve found out from them what they use the fabric for and what type they like the best, so I personalise their little extras.

I have to say, Lisa, I’ve ordered from you before and was delighted by your serivce. I loved the little smiley face on your personal note and the candy went down really well I’ll certainly be back again!

Melanie’s last blog post..This is… Me (gatecrashing the) Taking A Photo Of Myself In The Mirror With My Favourite Accessory Meme

By: Kelvin Kao

Kelvin Kao — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:21:34 +0000

If it's a website, and they have good service, I might go back to buy stuff from them again. However, for stuff like Amazon marketplace, I just leave a good feedback for them but won't pay attention or take note to come back again. After all, there are many sellers out there with good feedbacks. I'm more likely to search for a product than to search for a seller. Kelvin Kao's last blog post..Seamus and Magellan - Day 2

By: Elisa

Elisa — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:20:19 +0000

If I do a custom order, I will e-mail to the customer firstly a photo of my concept to make sure I interpreted the request precisely, then take another of the finalized product before shipping.

If the sale is of a displayed item, I will add a small token of appreciation with the purchase.