Customer Service or the Lack Thereof

Occasionally I will post a story about my encounters with big corporations and their customer service. See, I am a big believer in customer service done right. I think that when it is done the right way there is nothing that a company cannot achieve. When you treat a customer the way they deserve to be treated then you have won. People always come back to the Nordstrom's story and how they let an old man return a car tire when they clearly do not sell such items. People refer to this often as a great example of a store associate doing it the right way. Now don't get me wrong, it is a great story and I do agree in the fact that it is customer service taken above and beyond. I just think there is more to it.

In my family I am the one they call on when there is a problem to be solved with respect to a company doing someone wrong. Of course, because it is my family I always go into the situation with a bias and assume that the company is in the wrong. However, I always make sure to get all the facts of the situation and if it turns out that the company is not wrong and they did not do anything to warrant a refund or something along those lines, I will not help. In this scenario I will do my best to explain to my family member that while I am sorry this happened, the company was well within its rights. It has happened a few times.

Then there is the opposite scenario in which the company clearly did not hold up their end of the deal and I am called in as the so-called heavy artillery. I will write letters, make phone calls, and in the end I am batting 1000 in regards to settling the differences in my favor (or that of whom I represent). Why do I say this? Well.. I felt there needed to be some background to the story before I started telling it.

True Customer Service

I currently have one such situation on my hands right now having to do with a certain shoe manufacturer. I will not mention their name in this post because at the moment we have resolved our differences and I am now awaiting the shipment of a replacement pair of shoes for my daughter. So all is well. But the fact remains that customer service should not have to sought. In this case I went looking for it when I should not have had to. It should have been given to me with extra to spare. Customer service does not cost anything nor does it cause a company to use resources. It is merely something that is given to any and every customer that chooses to spend money within a certain establishment. Even if they decide not to spend any money the consumer should be treated as if they had. For customer service is the base on which all retail business is built.

Whenever I right a letter to a company and explain my position and that of their store it is customer service that everything relies upon. To put it very simply, if I (or anyone for that matter) pays for something, whether it is an item or a service, I should get that in full. It is expected. Should either of these be kept from me as the person who paid the store in good faith and expecting the same, it is then my duty to lodge a formal complaint in order to get my due.This is in essence what I do for other, and myself.

This is all very simple really. The sad part about it all is that many companies today seem to skip the course in customer service and go right to the lesson on how to cut corners, cheat the consumer, and let's not forget lazy 101. From time to time I may post a letter or two here or maybe even an entire scenario description of one of my many pursuits of justice. Stay tuned.. if the shoe company ends up not coming through with their promise, they might just be the first.