Comments on: Ecommerce Alchemy: Turning Disgruntled Customers Into Brand Advocates

By: Robin Fried

Robin Fried — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 02:01:05 +0000

I differ as to the way Amazon handles it’s customers. I find them very secretive when it comes to them making an error. I had 2 problems that they left as “my problem” with no explanation. The first was that they refused to let me sell books despite my unflawed (you’ll have to take my word) financial background and long-standing relationship with Amazon as a purchase and 2) that they simply stonewalled me and harrassed me with superfluous emails when they erronenously rejected my using my bank checking account as a payment method. Because of this treatment, I have stopped using Amazon altother.

By: Property Management Software

Property Management Software — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:44:02 +0000

It amazes me how little most companies care about customer service these days. I’ve seen customers in various businesses I interact with totally flip flop and go from unhappy to extremely happy just by answering the phone or returning an email. They never expected someone to respond.

By: City Smart

City Smart — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:37:24 +0000

I’ve seen the this go the opposite direction as well, where a small portion of your customer’s take advantage and end up getting your product twice.

That being said…I’ve yet to see a situation where it still isn’t worthwhile with your loyal custom following. I believe it will almost always outweigh the negative.

By: Isaac

Isaac — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:29:25 +0000

Good message – and it’s one I believe in.

With that said, when I think of customer service I don’t think of Amazon. In fact, I know multiple people who refuse to order from them simply because, as you stated, it’s so difficult to find a phone number if you run into a problem. To me, it seems like Amazon has made an obvious choice of operational efficiency OVER customer service.

By: Thomas Pletsers

Thomas Pletsers — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:13:37 +0000

There has to be some more information here that we don’t know.

Was it the shipper fault, so Amazon would get everything refunded? This must have been a case where they sent your order to the wrong customer, or the shipper lost it. So either way it wasn’t costing amazon anything.

By: Mike Thiel

Mike Thiel — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:50:13 +0000

Your article could not have been more timely given my recent experience with the flip side of that coin. Some time ago I bought a meat smoker from Bradley Smoker (www.bradleysmoker.com) under a promo that promised a $50 rebate. I got a check for $50, but being issued by a Canadian company that apparently had not established the correct banking channels, every one of my local banks charged a $10 – 20 fee for cashing the check. So I did not consider that the promised $50 rebate. Six months later, after complaining about this to their so-called customer service department, an unanswered letter to their V.P. of Sales, and just this weekend a telephone discussion and exchange of e-mails with the company president, they still did not see the wisdom of making a customer happy. Imagine over $10 (which could easily have been returned as a credit or free product) ticking off a customer and killing any referrals that customer might have provided. Apparently not all companies have caught the spirit of good/smart customer service practiced by the likes of Amazon, L.L. Bean, and others.

By: ShoppingSam

ShoppingSam — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 03:44:40 +0000

Amazon is definitely a leader and innovator of ecommerce, usability, and internet marketing. Without customer brand loyalty, ecommerce businesses will face serious growth challenges.

By: Jack

Jack — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 15:41:45 +0000

That also goes for Amazon.co.uk (and I’m sure other sub-sites). Their customer service is as good, or better, than any company I’ve dealt with otherwise.

Like Harry, Amazon is my first port of call… I rarely see the inside of a brick-and-mortar store nowadays.

By: Harry Chittenden

Harry Chittenden — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:32:21 +0000

Damn Melissa, what about the four weeks that you missed lifting weights? How will they ever compensate you for that?

Kidding aside, I had a similar experience with Amazon. The product was a bread maker. Their superb handling of the situation made me a cheerleader for Amazon. Whatever I’m looking for, I check there first.