Too often I have problems with companies and organizations ignoring my polite emails requesting information concerning a problem. Like ClickandBuy is ignoring my email and web site contact messages about a problem filling out a web site form of theirs. Just one example.
USPS mail? I suspect it would be ignored as well. And besides, foreign postage is expensive! Phone numbers are few and far between and useless for foreign contacts.
I suspect there is no solution except to find another source of the product or service and hope for better luck. However, most places seem to run their businesses that way any more.
Guess all I can do is let off steam in friendly places like this. I suspect I'm not alone.
Growing up in the sixties and going to Catholic schools, we were always told that one of the ways that capitalism was superior to communism was capitalism's commitment to customer service. In a capitalist economy, we were taught, the customer's needs and wants were integral to the company's success.
I think of that now and laugh. Nowadays, the reality is that the potential customer base for just about any company is so huge, they needn't worry about losing dissatisfied customers. No problem - there'll be more coming, and more after them. Plus, most people won't stay mad. They'll come back if the prices are good enough, thus proving that they don't care much about customer service, either. The reality is, there's no profit in customer service. Once the big companies figured that out, they lost interest in providing it.
Moe DeLoughan wrote in news:lm2j91$p5q$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:
What is so frustrating and annoying is that the email address I use or their web site contact form says to contact them for help with problems = or something similar. I admit sometimes the email address requires a bit of reseach on Google but it is often right in plain sight. And then they ignore the email coming in. It would be a little less frustrating if they didn't publish these addresses.
I had a problem with one web site. I was finally able to order using a different browser so I sent them a notice about it. They gave me a $10 coupon.
Another did not list a shoe I wanted in my size. They fied is that day, but did not give me a discount. I guess some pay attention, but I've had others ignore as well.
Well I haven't been to the nearby Jiffy Lube for years, because one guy lied about checking my PCV valve, and then the boss didnt' do anything about the lie except say he'd tell the national organization. AFAIK, they never wrote me (though I might have missed it) , but I wanted him to offer me something.
So I found a local oil change place, but they later were forced to move when a drugstore bought the building they rented, and later they went out of business.
And Firestone didnt' charge me anymore than Jiffy Lube but I was either lucky to find them when they weren't busy, or... At any rate, I like that I can go to a place like Jiffy Lube, see how many are ahead of me, and not even get out of the car if it's too many. And I like that I can stand at the front of the car watching what the guy does, that I couldnt' as easily do at Firestone.
The nearby JIffy Lube location has probably changed hands in the past several years. I could ask him how long he's had the place.
Plus there is another one not far with a big banner, Veteran Owned.
Should I go back?
What should I do?
I didnt' go to Catholic school. Is it too late to go there in search of guidance on this?
I have found that individual locations/franchises within a chain such as Jiffy Lube can exhibit vastly different levels of customer service. I had the asst manager at one JL tell me that they visually inspected a component on a Dodge Ram van that I used to own when I knew full well that it was not visible without removing certain obstructions. I let it slide when he told me and then wrote a letter to their corporate office explaining the situation. I received a letter of apology from them along with coupons for
4 free oil changes. I used the coupons at a different Jiffy Lube location. The techs there always checked the box next to "could not inspect" for the component in question. I never told them about them about the issue at the other store, they just apparently do the right thing instead of making stuff up. Why the other store had to lie to me about checking the component just makes no sense.
I recently took my daughter's car to a local tire chain for an alignment check. I was told that the alignment was fine but that one of the rear calipers was frozen. When I asked them how they knew, the asst manager said that the tech said he could barely spin the wheel. When I asked how they knew it was the caliper and not the slider pins, they told me that you can't buy the sliders pins separately, they come with the calipers. Since I know that the pins can be bought separately, I called another store in the chain and asked them if it was their policy to install the caliper and pins as a single unit and they told me "No...we only replace what's actually needed."
When I asked why another of their stores would tell me that the sliders pins were not available, he pressed me for more information. When I gave him the details, he escalated it to the district manager, who called me (the same day) and told me that they "want to make this right." I told him that I would take care of the brakes myself - for half what they were going to charge me - but I still had an issue with the car drifting to the right. He offered to have me bring the car in once the brakes were fixed and have one of his senior techs look at it. He promised to work out a deal based on what they found to be the problem.
I work for a company that has many offices and representatives. It's only takes one bad employee to sully the entire company's reputation. "What do you do for a living?" "I work for XYZ, Inc." "Oh, I've dealt with Joe Blow. I don't like the way your company does business." "Perhaps you don't like the way Joe does business, but let me explain how I handle my responsibilities." Sometimes that works, but sometimes it too late.
Same sort of thing for me. A few months after my visit there, I had to change a hose and I changed all the hoses and I know he couldn't have looked at the PCV valve without breaking the hose on it. I didn't care if he checked it, but I don't want to be lied to.
Mayvbe they did write me If they had sent me that, I'd be okay with them, but sometimes I just pile my mail in a box without looking at it. Of course I didn't like the boss's attitude either. He said they might send me something, and he was content that if they didn't, he wouldn't do anything either.
You''ve already convinced me. I'm going to ask someone how long the current owner owned the nearby one, try to phrase it so they're inclined to give me a long period, and if it's long enough (about 10 years), I'll go to the other JL.
I'm glad to learn that. It sounds like a easy way to cheat people.
I get oil and lube at a little repair shop. I've been going to him for 30 or 40 years now and his crew does excellent work on this and repairs. It cost more than JL but I sleep better. YMMV.
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