randulo’s unblog

I wrote someone to meet about a future project for a customer. The
dollar value of a project we are looking at would be around $140K.
The email I got back wasn't very enticing. It had a heavy PDF attached
with nothing I didn't already know about the company. What's important
is what comes next:
 
I wrote asking to meet, as we're in the same city. No answer. My
partner met this person subsequently and the guy confirmed getting my
message.
 
Zoom forward several weeks. Today, I received a mass mailing to my
address with news from this company. I replied asking him remove my
address from the mailing list and that subsequent mailings would be
reported as spam. Here's what he answered:
 
"I was thinking you would be interested by this newsletter. If you
don't wish to receive this newsletter anymore, you can unsubscribe
directly."
 
Bzzzzzzz BAD answer. I replied that one doesn't opt out of UBE which
is Unsolicited Bulk Email (aka spam) and when I ask to be removed, you
don't make me jump through hoops to be removed from a list I never
asked to be put on.
 
He then answered beginning with "I am the General Director of Vin......a"
 
I do not wish further discourse with this person, but here's what my thought is:
 
As General Director of a company, you just pissed on being a part of a
$140,000 deal with name more prestigious than any in your PDF.
 
One: Admit you're wrong, it doesn't cost you anything. Almost any
error is savable (except if it involves atomic energy)
 
Two: Don't bandy about your title to people, it means nothing to me.
You probably made it up anyway.
 
Three: What part of UNSOLICITED do you not get? Bad enough to send
this crap out, but never ask me to opt out of something I did not opt
into.
 
I feel like we're back in 1998.

I've already mentioned what a great job Amazon did handling my accidental order of two copies of the same DVD. What about experiences before Web 2.0? The fact is, companies have had to deal with customer satisfaction throughout the history of western civilization, not just since Twitter and GetSatisfaction made it so public.
 
I recall an incident where we stayed at a Comfort Inn in Monterey California. We had a series of unpleasant experiences there, and when we returned home, I wrote their corporate office using a contact form on their site. Within a few hours, I got an international phone call from a woman who showed unobsequious but sincere concern for the incidents. She apologized and asked me what the price of the room was, then sent me a check for the full price plus a couple for 45% off of a future stay. Note she didn't ask for proof that I paid the price I said. Did it help? That incident took place at least 10 years ago, and I still remember it well! The positive outweighed the negative.
 
More recently I purchased a $45 technical book subtitled "The Complete Reference". The book was a huge disappointment and a friend of mine said "you should have looked at Amazon reviews" and sent a link. I looked and there were dozens of reviews with the identical complaints I had with the book: it was not only not definitive at all, leaving out huge areas of knowledge, but also was not about the version of Solaris mentioned but a rehash of the previous version. Those of us who purchased this book for it to be a ripoff. "Very Disappointing", "Misleading and Inaccurate", "Do Not Buy". Indeed, next time I will look at Amazon reviews. (I think I purchased the book elsewhere so I didn't see them at the time.)
 
I wrote to the publisher, thinking I'd never get an answer. I was wrong: I got an immediate email telling me to choose any book from their catalog and they'd send me a copy, free. Note: Not "a book of equivalent value" ANY book. And also note, they sent it express to Europe, doubling the cost to them. Again, I remember the incident years later and I have the feeling they really care about their reputation for customer satisfaction.
 
So there are companies who do it right: Amazon, Comfort Inn, and McGraw-Hill Osborne Media and I won't forget them.
 
My latest consumer expectations and outcome is described here on FastCompany.com http://tr.im/VMWareRefund