Showing posts with label Customer Service Failure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Customer Service Failure. Show all posts

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Customer Service Tongue and Cheek

I would like to send out a huge thank you to a national company that manages a slew of shopping malls across the country. The one that if you give you them your e-mail address they promise to send you out an e-mail you can exchange for a mall gift card for your birthday along with a weekly email of sales and coupons. This year they did something very different than in the past. They put a limited number of days after your birthday to exchange your email for the card. That happened to land when Eric was very sick. I tried to explain that I was home taking care of a very sick child and missed the days.

What happened next was to say the least very unexpected. I was treated very rudely and harshly. More like a criminal than a customer. There were no exceptions for sick kids. I really left that office hoping and praying that she was not a mother of any child. Her tone of voice, body language and words were very harsh. This left me very upset. I have done a lot of shopping in that mall. I usually get the gift card and spend more than they give me along with shopping through out the year. I left their office very upset about being treated so poorly.

So I walked around the mall and thought about this while I racked up steps and did no shopping. I also thought about how with the growth of e-commence, that this was a very stupid move by the mall. Why go out when the outside temperature is over 100f?  I can just order everything I need on line and for the most part save money and not pay for delivery. I can also save money on gas. I wondered about what their merchants would say and do if they knew that the mall that takes a nice chunk off their bottom line in rent would say. I think I now know why small local businesses are no longer populating that mall.

I would like to think that in this age of a stagnate economy with a very slow recovery that a  national corporation who owns and rents retail space across the country would go out of their way to be nice to the locals. With each location costing millions to buy, renovate and manage, that they would be the first people to make sure that their customer service was the best in the industry. I might just be one customer going out to pamper myself. I would have spent under $100.00, but think of the domino effect of ticking off customers. How this will effect the merchants bottom line which in turn will effect your bottom line. What will Wall Street think about your shrinking bottom line.This current crop of analysts needs instant gratification. They want to see the money now, not 6 months from now. They don't care what you did for them 6 months or a year ago, they want the money and profits today. Not to mention that a shrinking bottom line will negatively effect the price you pay for interest on your loans and bonds. Which might in turn effect your salary and bonuses.

I have to say that the only person who was truly happy about the events at the mall office today was John. There is only one reason for that. I only bought a drink which I had a half price coupon for. I spent less than $2.25. I still came home relaxed after the walk and racked up over 8,000 steps today so far.

I have decided not to publicly name the corporation in my blog today, I really, really wanted to. My reasoning is that I would really be embarrassed to have my company called out for such horrendous customer service. If you happen to be upper management at the national office of a large company that buys and rents out mall space I will only give out the answer to the unmentioned company's upper management and no one else. After all everyone has a bad day now and then. It is also my sincere hope that the rest of your company is run much better.

On a different note. Eric is still home sick and spent much of the day sleeping. The stomach bug took a lot out of him, but the post viral asthma is worse. He is almost up to his normal feeding rate via the g-tube. It is my sincere hope that he can go back to his day program on Monday. Please send positive thoughts his way.  I think I have enough yarn and fluff to get me through. I have also figured out I can walk around the house for 20 minutes per hour 5 times a day to get close to my 10,000 steps.

Well it is time to go cook dinner.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

An Open Letter to Frederick Smith of FedEx

Dear Mr. Smith,

A while ago I went to visit my mom. While there I picked out a few things of my dad's. Since I had to many things to carry on the plane with me I went to your FedEx Pack and Ship store in Northridge,  California.

I had contact with Elizabeth and Faith. One helped me to bring the items in and the other one packaged them up for shipping. The Transition number was 78055128786. I purchased 3 Large fragile boxes, paid for packing, shipping and insurance.

When I got home I unpacked the boxes and found that one of the items that I had shipped was missing. So my sons aide and I went through everything again and the plaque with a piece of the flooring from McKale Stadium from the University of Arizona, engraved with my dads  name Jay. G. _____ C.P.A  on it was missing.

I called your 800 number and talked to Anthony and was given a case number of 0703746545. He said that you would do your best to find the plaque or to send me a check to cover the loss. After that I left to be the support system for my daughter while she took the California Bar Exam. There was a call while I was gone and your employee told my husband she was closing the case. My husband did not have all the details and the case should have been left open until I could talk to your claims person.

When I called back to try to reopen the case I was told "We can not reopen the case until we receive a picture of the lost item as you received it." I tried to explain that it was not damaged, but did not show up with the rest of the shipment. She stood her ground saying that until I had sent a "picture of the lost item as I received it they would not reopen the case." Since I have neither access to a time machine or a Tardis I can not provide you a picture of the item.

I thought yours was a company that I could trust, but apparently when it comes to family heirlooms that happen to be sports memorabilia all bets are off and your employees feel it is there right to lighten the load and take what they want.

May I suggest that you remind all your employees that even though they receive a check from the company for their wages. That in reality it is we the customers that ultimately pay their salaries by using your services. If we hand something over for shipping it is because we want the item. Our shipments are not to be used for the personal gain of your employees.

If on the other hand you approve of your employees having the right to the items in your customers shipments I would like you to post a sign at all of your shipping locations and in all your ads that says the following.

"We give our employees the right to remove any item you have brought in for shipping for their personal gain. We consider the amount of money you pay for insuring the item a money maker for our bottom line. Our share holders don't care as long as the checks keep coming every quarter. We will not pay you for your loss."

I still have those dammed boxes in my storage room. If you would like someone to come to the house to inspect them, please call and set up an appointment. If you can not find and return the plaque, I feel the ethical thing to do would be to refund the insurance money or pay the claim.

Sincerely,
Sheri Karobonik

November 13,2012
 Addendum

I would like to say that this issue has been resolved. With the Help of Teri and a very nice gal at the Fed-Ex office. No they did not find the plaque but I did get a check for the replacement cost. Someday I hope to stumble upon the plaque and get it back, this is a very long,long shot. A girl can dream can't she?