So, I use this web-based service to manage book sales, ebook downloads and other jobs on the publishing side of my business (I’m being vague here so as to not name names, though, given the circumstances, I’m not exactly sure why…).
In any case, I pay this company $1000 a year for this service. Not an insubstantial sum of money. And for ponying up a grand, annually, I feel entitled to pick up the phone when I have the occasional technical question, call their toll-free support line and get an answer. Seems pretty fair.
So, I call in the other day with a question, and I’m informed that, as of that day, 10/1, the only way I can get no-charge technical support by phone from now on is if I ante up another 379 bucks a year. Almost 40% of the price of the package I have (their most expensive one).
I give the guy an earful. Which I suspect is about the 50th time that day (being changeover day and all…) he’s been yelled at. He invokes a ridiculous apple-to-oranges analogy of how Microsoft charges for support, until I point out that most people have MS software bundled with their computer when they buy it, so Microsoft isn’t making a ton of money off that sale, making it a bit more logical that they’d charge for support.
He magnanimously allows me to ask my question that day, letting me know that the next time I call I’ll have to pay up. All in all, pretty outrageous, and we could rail on and on about the death of customer service, Companies Behaving Badly, etc. But, the main point of this post is what happened next.
A short time later, I get an email from the company (which they’d apparently sent before 10/1 but I’d missed it) outlining the new service.
Now. Not like I’m right or anything, but my gut tells me that when you’re going to implement a major change to your existing support offering – one that will undoubtedly make a lot of people very unhappy – you don’t compound the inevitable backlash by insulting their intelligence in how you present it…
Here’s how it looked…
Now, tell me. Do you see ANY acknowledgment whatsoever in this email of the hard reality? Specifically, that, “From this day forward, Valued Customer (who gives us $1000 a year, and has been enjoying no-charge phone support as part of that handsome fee), you’ll no longer get it unless you fork over nearly 400 additional clams.”
Nope. Instead, they blow smoke: “…important extension to our support services…. Ultimate Unlimited Support…extra level of support…blah, blah, blah.” Yeah, they hint around with, “…to continue taking advantage of these personalized services” but nowhere is an honest admission of any kind, something like: “We apologize for this change, but due to rising manpower costs, and overuse of our phone support…etc, etc. etc.” Something, ANYTHING that sounds sincere.
No question, I still wouldn’t have been happy but at least I’d respect them for not insulting my intelligence.
I’ve seen this over and over. Why do companies shun honest communication and opt instead for painfully obvious and laughably ineffective subterfuge? I know, common sense is all too uncommon in Corporate America, but that’s the pat answer. I’m digging for more here.
Don’t they know that we as consumers respond better to honesty? Who was advising them here? All I know, is that if I were hired by a company to write something like this, I’d be sounding the alarm loud and clear that they were making a mistake.
Why DO companies do this?
Can you share any similar examples?
Am I wrong here?
Am I overreacting?
Aw geez, Peter. You’re going about this the wrong way. Have that company contact me. I’ll gladly insult their customers for free. Seriously. No charge. How’s that for bringing value to the table?
Yes, but look at that small print. Your very special assigned account rep will continue to work with you until your problem is solved. I mean, isn’t it comforting to know that they’re willing to fix their problems? Or, well, willing to fix them if you pay them $379. I guess the folks who don’t just have to suffer with unsolved problems and no means of redress.
Peter,
You’re absolutely right. Too many companies are relying too heavily on the ‘there’s a sucker born every minute’ philosophy of customer service. I agree with you that a little honesty goes a long way: “due to rising costs, etc. we are forced to…” You still won’t like it but you understand it.
Too many companies think all of their customers are idiots who will ‘buy’ whatever BS they’re ‘selling.’ Customers are getting smarter every day, especially through dumb maneuvers like this one.
Thanks for pointing this out.
Well, it does betoken progress in one regard. People don’t have “problems” any more. We have “issues.”
We’re ALL magazines now.
Who could possibly be doing this?
I have no idea.
https://google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=%22Ultimate+Unlimited+Support%22&aq=f&aqi=&oq=&fp=2cca7b2e99206b9c
Hi Peter,
I feel your pain as well! And I do have a similar example.
In my “day job” I work as an independent corp. trainer. My clients are training and seminar companies, THEIR clients are corporations. The training company provides me with an outline of topics to cover, but since we’re not employees, they are limited in telling me how to present the seminar (the IRS places these limitations). So my presentation could be VERY different from Trainer Number One’s seminar, though both would do the job.
Trainer Number was hired to do three one day seminars, but he couldn’t make the third, so they hired me. The client wanted to make certain that my program was “consistent” with his. No problem. We’re given an outline of topics to cover and I didn’t plan to deviate from that.
But, the overzealous rep from the training company PROMISED that I would give the EXACT SAME presentation (same delivery style, same group activities, same anecdotes, etc…). “Perfect!”, says the client. So now the rep (understanding that she put her foot in her mouth) expects me to call Trainer Number One and get a blow by blow, word for word account of HIS seminar. Huh? We’re two different people! That’s like asking you to present the topic: “How to start a FLCW business” in EXACTLY THE SAME way as Bob Bly would do it!
So now I have to be the “bad girl” and explain all of this to the client. I’ll explain, of course, that I know the topic just as well, will cover the same information, but our presentation styles may be very different. Then I will tell her that I’d understand if she wanted to wait for Trainer Number One to become available so that she can get the EXACT SAME presentation.
I don’t think your overreacting Peter. It’s very frustrating when a company changes major policies without giving its clients an “honest” explanation.
Didn’t you get the memo? Journalism, service, courtesy, and sanity–dead.
On the subj of copywriters not letting clients look idiotic, I got a robocall that said, “If you are from age zero to 25…” If I were “age zero,” how could I be listening to this? Oh–let me add: you moron.
Ah, yes. Gotta love the spin. My favorite recent example was in an e-newsletter from a local, um, business. I laughed out loud when I read it: First, they told me I should come celebrate (celebrate what?), then promised a free tote bag if I buy $60 worth of products. Or, if I get six friends to join me for spa treatments (well over the $1,000 mark, minimum), they’ll give us a whole pitcher of mimosas! The tote’s worth about 50 cents. Mimosas around $15.
Companies do this because the people making these decisions have no conscience. Writers help them because they have no standards or they rationalize this type of message as being something people aren’t going to read, believe, care about, or expect otherwise from the sender. Or they think this is how business is done. Or they’re employees following orders. Or maybe they can’t afford to turn down the work and so they do it even though it doesn’t pass their personal smell test.
I’m not trying to set myself up as any paragon of virtue. But even when I was a writer in the public affairs program of the trade association for the commercial nuclear power industry and even when in other corporate or ad agency jobs I’ve had to help businesses communicate bad news or state a position on controversial issues, I don’t think I ever wrote anything demonstrably false as in the example here that says “this new level of service was designed to provide an extra level of support for clients who want the ability to contact a support representative, knowledgeable with their account, at will.”
Current customers such as you know that’s not true. You were already getting that service. They didn’t design any new program to give you the level of service you were already enjoying. All that’s new is they’re charging you for it. And trying to sound like they’re doing you a favor.
ANGRY FIST!!!!!!
Really, the ultimate insult in my world is “Your call is important to us.” Um, no? If my call is important to you, you’d ANSWER it? Just have a message that states “We’re woefully understaffed, so your wait for an incompetent and/or surly rep will be a while…”
Thanks for all the great input and the examples from Mele, Star, Heather and Brian. And thanks for the great insights, Ken into why you feel this happens. In one sense, it’s actually quite extraordinary that stuff like this gets created. There has to be some serious denial going on at high levels. I just have a hard time believing, in this case, that they’re not aware of the fact that they’re really offering nothing new or better or improved, that in fact, they’re simply taking away something from good customers. And obviously, this is ONLY being sent to existing customers. I mean, can they have convinced themselves of the value of what they’re doing? The old, “Tell a lie long enough and it becomes the truth” kind of thing? Do they not dare speak the truth? Do they think that that somehow would be received worse than this? I honestly don’t know.
PB
I think the shocking decline in the level of customer service and the quality of the service economy in general goes hand in hand with the Dumbing of America. (Insert TM here) Thirty, forty, fifty years ago, customer service was absolutely critical to business. Think of an entire team of uniformed, hat-wearing Texaco employees running out as soon as you pull up to the pump, filling the tank and fluids, washing the windows, pumping the tires, etc. From there we moved to a surly guy in the booth pumping and maybe squeegeeing the windows without a word, and on to self-service. Tavern on the Green in evening wear to McDonald’s in whatever. Cronkite to Couric, Metropolitan Opera to the Pet Rock to American Idol. The country gets dumber, and the level of service follows.
I weep for the future.
On the other hand, this gives us a hell of an advantage, if we provide 1950’s Texaco level service to our clients, eh?
Peter:
I don’t think they’re afraid of the truth, but rather that they’re failing to put their customers’ needs first. It seems that they view providing good customer service as an expense, rather than an investment. Jay Levinson of the Guerilla Marketing series calls providing excellent customer service the first marketing tactic every business should adopt.
I actually admire your restraint. If it was me, not only would I have told as many people as possible about this shabby treatment, but exactly who was delivering it. And start looking for alternatives.
Mark
Smart advice (that providing excellent customer service is the first marketing tactic every business should adopt), but also sort of a “Duh” in my books. Though obviously not the case for most companies (and certainly not this one). And the ones who do typically thrive.
And frankly, I have no clue why I’m protecting their identity. I guess I was focusing more on the lesson than the perpetrator, but public “outing” is sometimes the only way to get someone’s attention. So… the company in question is http://www.1shoppingcart.com.
PB
Hey Peter:
I don’t think you’re overreacting, and I know this type of behavior seems to be running rampant these days–but there IS light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s coming from Social Media.
With instant communication and networking comes exponential word of mouth press-both good and bad. Companies are being forced to be more transparent in their dealings with customers. However, some have to learn the hard way.
I recently interviewed Dave Carroll, a musician who was burned by United Airlines when they smashed his guitar and gave him a year’s worth of run-around. He went public on YouTube with a series of music videos (2nd one just came out about a month ago) that outlined his sad saga called “United Breaks Guitars.” The resulting flack got United’s attention–BIG time, but by then the damage was done. Google it, and you’ll see what I mean. If you want to see my blog interview with him, let me know and I’ll send you the link.
All the best,
Apryl
The only impact you’ll have on them is to take your business elsewhere, and write the CEO a strongly-worded letter telling them why, cc’ing both the BBB and the AG offices.
I’ve sat in more than one marketing class where students are encouraged to lie and spin because “you can make anyone believe anything, hence you can make anyone buy anything.”
The only way to deal with those kinds of nitwits is to remove your business and let people know your experience. Eventually, enough intelligent people remove their business and it closes. The Karmic return isn’t always quick enough for my taste, but it’s there.
You are NOT over reacting at all, by the way.
Ken Norkin! Hi. I had an interesting one–today in that capricious, devil-make-care way it has, my AOL version decided to blow up and I was on the phone with an American-sounding guy (no, not an Hispanic accent) who said he was in the Philippines…I said, Manila? He said Clark AFB. Do our soldiers moonlight for AO-Hell–or rent space–we never got that far.
I have a couple of theories, which all essentially boil down to the same thing: they do it because, like so many other anti-social, anti-customer practices, they think that they can get away with it.
It’s arrogance, it’s a statement of great faith that they won’t lose sales over it, in the stickiness of their general operation. I’m not familiar with the specific industry in question, but, it seems to be the case that when most people have contracted a businesses services for for an extended period of time, it takes something pretty goddamn awful to motivate them to go through the hassle of shopping for another supplier. I know plenty of businsess operators for who, a poorly worded letter probably wouldn’t do it. The fact that tech support for the service disappeared, yes, but not necessarily the way it was represented, regardless of how disrespectful it may be. They’d just mutter jerks” and throw the letter in the bin, and get on with things.
Thanks Jess,
I think you’re absolutely right. To those who’ve sensibly suggested I tell them to take a hike and go find another company, I’m afraid it’s just not that easy. When you have over three years invested with a company and ALL the data, and products and downloads, you’re entrenched with them. It’s not a matter of being able to just easily switch to another shopping-cart system. So, I’m guessing they absolutely feel they can get away with it, which is crummy. AND, actually, not very smart in a big sense, that being, people like me are saying some pretty bad things about them, which could definitely sway someone who’s looking at different systems. Unless they know that most companies are the same and they won’t get much better service (i.e., more fully-featured) with another company. Crummy, but more understandable in that context.
PB
P.S. And Apryl, I have seen the video by the band about United Airlines. It as actually excellent, musically! Check it out here.
Peter:
Color me swayed. Granted, I’m at the other end of the telescope, but when Sonia Simone sent me a link to her affiliate page for 1shoppingcart my immediate reaction was: no, thankyouverymuch.
Mark
Well, whatever they do, I hope their competitors don’t seize upon this opportunity to achieve a little preferential differentiation.
That would be silly.
Hello Peter,
You’ve probably blown most of this dross out of your system by now, but I’ll add my two cents, for whatever it is worth.
If this ploy is IT originated, that explains everything as far as I’m concerned. With few exceptions, IT people are sociopathic morons. They are insular, cold, and lazy, preferring to pursue their nerdy interests, and the last thing they want to do is to interact with the human race. They lack interpersonal skills.
So it is easy for me to imagine them generating such a shallow and smarmy piece of correspondence, to send to their client base, whom they loathe. Yes, IT loathes flesh and blood human beings, that is, those who possess a soul.
In some quarters, organizations are offering interpersonal skills classes for their IT people. In a survey given to IT people, they were asked how they viewed themselves. In general, they said they felt they were superior to non-IT people, and felt unappreciated by non-IT people. They don’t understand why people don’t like them! Duh.
I don’t have a link to this information. It’s just something I ran across not too long ago, and has corroborated my own experiences and subsequent conclusions, derived from dealing with them in one capacity or another.
I would love a little more honesty from companies. But the sad truth is, companies wouldn’t pull this stuff if it didn’t generally work. A thorough company will run some test marketing with a sample audience. If few enough people catch it, they move forward, knowing they’ll make enough money from the ignorant to make up for losing anything from the aware.
Some customers will even doublethink the whole event. They know they used to get free phone support, but believe the ad that says “free” phone support is new. Maybe they think there was a glitch on their account, so they weren’t billed.
And for the record, we’ve always been at war with East Asia and Eurasia has always been our ally.
Ha! Piggybacking on Pat’s comment above about IT people, I just came across an report at ComputerWorld.com entitled “CIOs complain college grads aren’t ready for IT work.”
https://computerworld.com/s/article/342347/Crossing_the_Skills_Gap
Seems CIOs have four big complaints about new IT grads, including:
1. Inadequate Grip on Business Realities
and
3. Social Networking Skills but Wobbly Relational Skills
Peter,
You’re so right here, and I see this type of drivel more and more in the marketplace — companies trying to disguise higher charges and less services with the “new and improved!” label. My local newspaper, and not coincidentally, my former employer, has been doing this on a regular basis in over the past few years as it cuts staff, reduces coverages, replaces locally generated content with canned copy and tops it all off with a letter from the publisher or editor telling readers about the “great new services” the paper is now (not) providing.
As you so aptly put it, it insults the intelligence of the reader and, I believe, adds to the growing cynicism in our society. It also makes the job harder for those of us trying to play it straight.
Joe
I just tweeted a link to your post here. If they don’t mind sending out an email like this to their thousands of customers, then I’m sure they won’t mind a little extra free publicity!
Thanks Kelly,
Yeah, they should get a little extra “love” for this tin-eared beauty…so tweet away…
PB