Customer service

[BaadVR4]

On Dec 04, I placed an order I was told would ship the same day. On Monday, Dec10, I called and left a message requesting a call back re status. This morning I received not the call I requested, but the following e-mail:


Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2012 07:53:11 -0500
From: larry@XXXXXXXINC
To: MILTON_
Subject: Fwd: Re: New Order - Goldin

Hi Milton,

I want to let you know that your order was shipped on Monday.

SHIPPED COMPLETE 12/10/12 UPS GROUND
TRACKING #

I want to personally apologize for the delay, the order got stuck in our Shipping Dept, the victim of a clerical issue.

You should be receiving these items in the next day or so. Thank you for your patience.


thx,

Larry
XXXXXXX Inc

Here's UPS' vision for my package:

Scheduled For Early Delivery On:
Monday, 12/17/2012, By End of Day
Originally Scheduled For Delivery On:
Tuesday, 12/18/2012, By End of Day

UPS seems excited to be able to get me a whole day's improvement over the original scheduled delivery.

Here's my response to Larry:

Hi Larry,

Pleased to hear from you. I am disappointed about the order delay. I am even more disappointed that UPS doesn't share your optimism regarding the expected delivery date. They are all excited about getting my order to me "early" on 17 Dec as opposed to the original "end of the day" on 18 Dec. Just in case those dates have no significance to you, they are both NEXT WEEK, not "in the next day or so" indicated in your e-mail.

So here's ANOTHER WEEK I will sit idly by, watching my car rust, waiting for YOUR product. It is absolutely NO CONSOLATION to me that my order was the "victim of a clerical issue". You charge a dead high price for a supposedly high end product. I paid your price without question. I expected you would have at least semi-responsive customer service. (Actually, for the price I paid I expected dead superior customer service).

This is my first order from you. I can only wonder how long it might have remained in the Shipping Department being clerically victimized had I not called to find out where it was. And I can't blame you for sending me an e-mail instead of returning my call, as I requested. You didn't have any clerical issues getting full payment for my order. This was your one and only chance to make a "First" impression. And you have.

In case it isn't obvious by now, I'm not the least bit patient about this debacle. How about you send me back my money, and I'll pay you for the products two weeks after I receive them? My bank balance is being clerically victimized at the moment. Doesn't work so well that way?? Thought not.

You might want to think about actually calling me. We could discuss ways to stop this from happening to someone else. I am eagerly waiting to hear from you. Thanks,

Milt
CELL PHONE NUMBER: 478-xxx-xxxx

Have I been too harsh???????????????????????????????? Discuss, please. Just for clarity, this is NOT a 3S vendor, it is a hose/hose end company dealing in PTFE products.

[j2k4]

You were exceedingly civil in pointing out the shortcomings, Milt.

I think they should be tripping over themselves in an effort to smother your hind-quarters with oral ministrations.

Having said that, I imagine if your post somehow comes to their attention, you will be sued for defamation.

[BaadVR4]

No basis for suit. They are not specifically identified in my post. But "Larry" will receive my e-mail. Gutless coward! At least when I or my company made this size/quality F**k U*, I had the decency to call personally and lay out our utter lack of justification for existence. Note I said, "I" made the call. Didn't matter who made what mistake, I made the call. And the customer got the truth. And I gave him/her whatever compensation the company owner would allow. Second Day Air. Next Day Air if need be.

You were exceedingly civil in pointing out the shortcomings, Milt.

I think they should be tripping over themselves in an effort to smother your hind-quarters with oral ministrations.

Having said that, I imagine if your post somehow comes to their attention, you will be sued for defamation.

[j2k4]

Lawyers routinely make cases out of whole cloth, and the inclination to do so usually goes hand-in-hand with such sloppy service.

100% agreed on how to handle such shortfalls, too.

Abject apologies are way too rare, but most often appreciated.

[BaadVR4]

And if the gutless wonder had wanted to "personally apologize", he would have called me, like I asked in the message I left him, along with my cell number. He had no idea how spiteful, sarcastic and mean I am when he chose to send me an e-mail instead of call me.

[j2k4]

And if the gutless wonder had wanted to "personally apologize", he would have called me, like I asked in the message I left him, along with my cell number. He had no idea how spiteful, sarcastic and mean I am when he chose to send me an e-mail instead of call me.

Different generation, Milt.

"Taking responsibility" means minimizing one's exposure to criticism, these days.

[BaadVR4]

Just so..........anything is acceptable as long as I can plausibly put the blame elsewhere. Got it. We should convert and send the Amish Mafia.

[IPD]

so glad i'm not on your bad side.

[Chris@Rvengeperformance]

I hate calling people and I hate them calling me. I only call people when what they are saying in their email doesn't make sense or I need to convey more emotion than an email can accurately do.

I have a lot more things to do than call someone every 5 minutes.