Put the Phone in the Mail…..
My mother is a Luddite. She was having enough problems, for example, trying to use a computer before her son-in-law convinced her to switch over to a Mac so she could iChat with her grandchildren. Imagine my mother's frustration when her mobile phone crapped out on her recently. (Apparently, the phone is broken if you have to shout into it so the person on the other end can hear you) A call to Virgin Canada led to a suggestion she mail in her phone (a cheap, bottom-of-the-line Nokia) and maybe three weeks later, they would send it back. That didn't seem like a good option so she looked up the phone number for one of those Virgin kiosks popping up in malls across the country. Instead of putting the phone in the mail, my mother would just march down to the mall and exchange her broken phone for a new one. Simple, eh? Well, no. It turns out you can't do that so my mother's got two options: put the phone in the mail and hope it comes back some time soon, or buy a new one. That can't be described as good customer service. Where's Richard Branson when you need him?
November 18th, 2006 at 4:56 pm
I found the same frustration when dealing with stores that also had an online presence where they would not be integrated and push you to the other channel (one you bought from).
Why make things so difficult. I would imagine that the trouble they put you through actually increases the cost of the transaction.
Take your mom. She called (call centre cost), She went to a Kiosk (agent cost), If she goes the route of mail (there is handling cost - postage, receiving, processing, fixing/replacing, shipping, postage,…). This seems like a lot of cost.
I also find that when presented with the need to buy a new phone, you are now placed into a spot of do I stay with the carrier (churn).
This notionally seems like a lot of money and guess what a pissed off Grandma.
November 18th, 2006 at 11:41 pm
Last time I needed repairs to my phone — about three years ago — I was told by the (Rogers) dealer that all the Canadian repair operations for various mobile phone vendors have been consolidated into the U.S. and repairs could take three to six weeks. Argh!!
November 22nd, 2006 at 6:21 pm
“Where's Richard Branson when you need him?”
He's currently sulking because he can't keep up with Rupert Murdoch.