ON CUSTOMER SERVICE || 3 Horror Stories That Will Make You Question Why Some People Are Still In Business

I began 2024 hoping we would all do better with customer service. After all, it’s a tougher economy now with layoffs and tightening budgets.

However, in January, I already have three customer service horror stories to share. I went through the first phase of the sales process with minor hiccups. However, the non-existent after-sales service made me question why these companies are still in business when they are comfortable treating their customers with subpar standards.

FROM A FOUR-MONTH DELIVERY WINDOW TO AN EIGHT-MONTH ‘MAYBE IT’S COMING’ WINDOW

This story is truly a gem because it will be hard to believe what you’re reading. Last year, in April, we saw a marketing opportunity that would help one of our clients leverage a new marketing channel. The client agreed it was a great format and signed the agreement. Now, let’s pre-empt the rest of this story by stating that the client was not without its faults; there was a delay in the campaign that pushed out the activation period to the fall, and they paid for the advertising cost in October last year. On the other hand, the vendor was contractually bound to deliver the goods within a four-month window (at the latest) from the date of signing the agreement.

Let’s fast forward to the end of February 2024. The goods have been sitting at the border and withheld by customs because the vendor reported an item drastically different from what we ordered on their customs documents. Customs identified the shipment as suspicious, and the package has been held up for the past three months. During this time, the vendor could have provided options to make good with the client, such as free advertising through their other channels, yet they did not proactively offer them. They could have hired a brokerage firm to liaise with customs, but judging by the extended duration the package has been held up, they have not chosen this route. The point is that the vendor had various opportunities to repair or salvage the relationship between their company and our company and the client. Yet, the agent ignored the problem, hoping it would go away.

In other terms, we were left holding the bag, which showed that the vendor clearly did not value our recurring business or their reputation.

IS IT THERE YET? A SHIPPING ERROR THAT LEFT US HOLDING THE BAG

It seems like a repeating theme, where poor after-sales service leaves a customer holding the bag and cleaning up the mess a vendor made.

This story is related to the first one. After the vendor continually dragged out the delivery timeline, we took matters into our own hands. We ordered a substitute from a separate vendor for the original product the client paid for. We paid for this out of pocket because it was our way of customer service so our client wouldn’t miss a crucial promotional period due to the vendor’s delay. Again, everything was fine until we placed the order, where I pointed out that the shipping address on the invoice was incorrect. The administrator on the vendor’s end said they would update the shipping address.

We can all guess what happened, right? The shipment showed up at the wrong address in another city. When we emailed to inquire about the shipment's status, the vendor said, ‘oh, someone signed for it.’

How many packages does a company receive per day? From PR shipments to business mail? If a delivery person shows up with an invoice showing the receiving address is correct, why and how would a receptionist know the vendor sent it to the wrong address?

The error originated from the vendor shipping the package to the wrong address. Yet, when we asked whether the vendor could rectify the shipping error, our request was met with radio silence. We never even got a response from the vendor. The approach to customer service was, “Someone signed for it, so it’s your problem now, even though we were the ones who made the mistake.”

How much would it have cost to correct the mistake? Maybe $100 will be enough to expedite the package to the correct address. It’s incredible how little businesses value their reputation. Once it’s gone, you cannot get it back.

CHANGING AN ACCOUNT’S KEY PERSONNEL WITHOUT NOTIFYING THE CLIENT

The final story is from the service sector, where the issue arose in how a matter was poorly handled and communicated.

My businesses have used the same accounting firm since its inception and built trust with the accountant(s) assigned to my file. My original accountant had told me they sold the company last winter, but they would stay on board for another year to watch over my files. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered the new owner had removed the accountants I trusted from my account and booted me down to the junior so they could make a higher profit margin. When I requested my original accountant handle my 2023 year-end to wrap up the filing, the new owner lied that the financial statements had already been made, but I hadn’t even seen drafts, so this was a huge red flag. The new owner wasn’t current on my file, nor did they understand the intricacies of our business’s reporting.

Carelessly prepared financial statements and filings are detrimental to a client’s operations, especially if they trigger an audit. Do not repeat this mistake if you are in the professional or consulting services industry. If you don’t know or don’t have an answer, say that; let the client know you will get back to them instead of making something up.

Unsurprisingly, the issue is rarely with the product; it’s with the humans handling the process of making and delivering it. So, how can we do better? If we continue to operate our businesses as transactional businesses and wait for clients to tell us what’s wrong, fail to follow up on customer satisfaction, and miss opportunities to correct our mistakes, how can we expect clients to come back or to refer us to others in their network with confidence? It’s time to evaluate your after-sales process and not just focus on top-line revenue. Without great clients vouching for you and coming back, your business will not be sustainable. We all need to do better.