If it is true that company "a" does not answer phone or return e-mail that is a valid concern and should be taken into consideration about whether you buy company "a" products. I run small business and answer all phone calls during business hours and return e-mails promptly, expect others to do likewise.....this should not be diffcult to do!
If small company is temporarily closed because of vaction or business trip, indicate that in phone message....don't leave customer in the dark, this is basic business 101.
If original post is off base usually others will post they had no such problems with company "a" therefore reader can make his own asessment.
Lets not get to point where we cannot say anything negative about small companies sevice to customer. |
Sorry, I also disagree with the premise. If a manufacturer gives lousy service potential customers should know. Usually someone knows the scoop, so if theres another explaination we get it. When the answer is something like they are on vacation, changed phone service or they moved their website the info is here and they actually are getting a free service.
On many occasions loyal customers rush to their defence, so in effect they get free positive feedback listed here where lots of people browse around.
Would you want to find out a company went belly up or that they are the dregs when it comes to service before or after making a purchase? |
Sometimes I wonder if such postings are not a promotional device. The follow-up postings are usually an explanation of why there was difficulty contacting the manufacturer, plus praise for the fine product. Many times this is all about an outfit that I for one had never heard of, before the original posting.
"There is no such thing as bad publicity". |
Both sides of this have merit. I think that anyone intiating possibly negative feedback should be extremely sensitive to its possible undeserved negative effects. Yet poor service or reliability should definitely be published. Then copied to the "offender" to give them a chance to respond with their side of the story.
Perhaps the person initiating the post could least say something like " I tried calling on 3 seperate occasions over a period of ten days, after having verified that I had the correct number", versus "I called three times" (which all could be on the same day to an inadvertently transposed number) |
Small or large, a business needs to either provide good product support (at high end audio pricing it should be excellent support, imho)or else be willing to take the hit.
Have three components from small firms, manufacturer support from two of them has been A+++++ world class. The third seems to be a 'take the money and run' outfit, I think it is good for the industry for us to be able to brag on the good ones as well as warn each other about the bad ones. Perhaps nothing will drive people away from the hobby quicker than dumping significant funds into something and then finding out a year later that it is effectively junk because of lack of repair support or parts support. |
Some companies simply do not find email that useful and only use the phone which screens out a lot of tire kickers. Steve Sank and Nick Gowan are both much more responsive to the phone than email as they get a lot of idle questions via email.
If they have history with a customer then they use email more effectively. People like Steve and Nick that have been around for years and actually do what they say are few and far between.
Convergent Audio Tech is another one with no web presence I've been able to find. CAT responds to phone calls. |
Being that there are always at least two sides to any story, how do you know you're hearing an honest and accurate presentation of the facts when someone makes this type of posting? I kinda' agree that the facts will eventually make themselves known, but that process could take several days and it won't fully erase the negative impressions the post started. It's like in the newspaper business where the retraction is never in as big a typeface as the original incorrect story. All I'm suggestion is that some burden of due diligence should be placed upon the original poster.
Audiogon doesn't allow an individual to post negative comments about another individual regarding equipment transactions without first getting input from the accused party. Why should someone be able to slam a company without also getting the company's response before putting the post in the public domain. You'll still be able to say negative things about small companies, but at least the companies will be in a better position to defend themselves.
Eldartford, shouldn't someone be able to come up with a better promotional stunt then publicly announcing they don't respond to customer inquiries? If they can't they maybe that is a good reason to not do business with them. |
Tough call 61. Email has spoiled alot of us into expecting an instant response only because it's possible. I do get impatient waiting for peeps to grunt out their electronic response and push the send button. In the companies defense, they certainly field hoards of obscure questions from people with only passing interest. However, the common wisdom is that there are only two rules in business:
1. return your phone calls.
2. show up at your appointments.
Maybe we could modify the second one to "ship after you've received the money." :^)
Ever notice that the big net direct sellers usually have a scroll of conditions and provisions as long as your arm? These give me the feeling that if I jump through enough hoops they'll do me a big favor and accept my order. It seems size or success breeds arrogance. Maybe, once a business isolates and identifies its target audience, it can afford to screen prospects according to their demeanor. How about those stories of walk-in customers who get treated like refuse for failing to live up to the sales persons' expectations of a serious audio buyer?
Hey, here's an idea for a post -- which non-responsive companies do you most admire? |
If I've emailed, and received no response, I'll call. If no answer, I'll leave a message (if possible) and call back later if I don't get a return call.
If none of this works, and I'm holding the bag, why should I not be able to voice my opinion about the matter?
I'm in sales for a living. If I don't call my customers back, I lose their business. That's just good old free market economics! |
Onhwy61...Maybe so. But note that I mentioned the numerous favorable comments that often follow the initial posting. |
Tire kickers do eventually buy something, don't they? Also, businesses had better not assume that e-mailer=tire kicker. It's the way now, and they're gonna lose business and then go out of business.
I e-mailed a high end company about their products about a month ago and still haven't heard back. I'm not gonna complain here, or post asking if they're still in business.
I simply bought something else.
There's enough to choose from out there. Let Audio Darwinism run its course.
If you got good response from a company before you bought, you're at least likely to get good response afterwards. If, however, you couldn't get their attention when you were waving money at their faces...
Cheers. |
Eldartford,I love and totally agree with your first post.Or as Lou Reed says" I dont believe nothin I hear and half of what I see"For 55 years,I've been an optimist,but it sure gets harder,the older you get...and since theres no common ground between computers and the truth...its like,I trust everybody as long as I can cut the cards...Bob |
It cracks the hell out of me when a company has a web-site with a "contact us" link to their e-mail address and then the person at the other end informs me that he/she doesn't like to communicate by e-mail. Well then, get the heck off the web! Okay, that's drastic, but the point is - if you're going to join us in the modern age and use the web to market your products complete with e-mail address and an invitation to e-mail, then you should have someone at your company who LIKES to communicate by e-mail!!!
Or, at the very least, someone who is willing to communicate by e-mail. |
yeah man let's moderate and cencor every word and punctuation on each post and the 'gon will be ideally righteous just like we now doin' it politically. |
If you can't get a response and you can't get your money back, and you have no idea what happened. I like to know these things. AKA the turntable set up guru's company.
He doesn't answer e-mails, or phone calls, and has had people's money for 6 plus months. I wanna know, and look to forums like this for information.
As to I'm too busy, and I own my own business. Not for long if you treat people like this.
A response to an e-mail or phone message within a couple of days is understandable. But months is rediculous.
If you can't take the time to take care of customers you deserve none. No exceptions to this rule in my book.
No sympathy for business'es snowed under with work, the labor market is saturated with the unemployed, hire some one!
loon |
