Mona Shaw struck a chord with me. She’s the 75-year-old Vermont woman who whacked a hammer into a computer in her local Comcast office after being enraged by the company’s abominable customer service. She happily acted out her fury, something many of us dream about doing every time we call “customer service” and fall victim to bad service or no service or patronizing customer service representatives.
Right now, for example, I am waiting in a vacant apartment for Xcel Energy to turn on the gas. I must be here, their customer service representative said, or they won’t turn it on. But here’s the kicker: She wouldn’t tell me when, not even what day, they would come. Usually they come in 24 hours, she assured me, but she “couldn’t make any promises.” If I’m not here, she warned, no gas, no heat. Obviously, my time is a matter of complete indifference to Xcel.
Now, Xcel is lucky. They are a monopoly, with no competition. But that doesn’t make it smart to treat customers badly.
In sharp contrast, last week I bought a Sears refrigerator. That’s a company that knows lots about competition, has suffered near-death experiences, and now offers great customer service. They not only delivered my refrigerator on the day I chose, but also called me the night before to tell me the two-hour delivery window. And they were right on time. Unlike Xcel, Sears knows the value of a customer’s time, and the importance of a happy customer.
It’s not just monopolies that provide lousy customer service. Just ask any Dell Computer owner who has sought telephone support. Then, there are companies that are schizophrenic about customer service. Take United, Denver’s largest air carrier. On my way home through Chicago several weeks ago, my flight to Chicago was early, leaving me nearly three hours to make my connection to Denver. However, United took over two hours to unload the bags from the plane.
By the time my bag appeared, I didn’t have time to make my flight. Meanwhile, no one from United was anywhere around the baggage area to help. No one could rebook my flight either, because all planes were full. I fly over 100,000 miles a year on United and if I couldn’t get any service, imagine what happens to someone who isn’t one of their “priority” customers.
On the other hand, I’ve seen countless United employees go out of their way to help passengers stranded by canceled or delayed flights.
Customer service ought to be a no-brainer. In our very competitive world, you’d think every company would want happy customers. With endless online evaluations of everything from hotels to locksmiths, you’d think no company could afford to enrage a customer. Unless you’re a monopoly like Xcel and you just don’t care. Your customers can’t take their business elsewhere, so what do their opinions matter?
Other companies, just like Dell, have ignored their customers’ rage and lost market share in return. Whether it’s a call center whose employees don’t understand your problem or a local representative who just doesn’t care, you can vent your rage by taking your business somewhere else. Dell noticed. Others will, too.
Even if you don’t want to follow Mona Shaw’s example, you can express your frustration in other ways, by filling out Web surveys, blogging, writing the CEO a letter, telling everyone you know, or complaining to a regulator. I’m going to do all the above, starting with a letter to Xcel CEO Richard Kelly. Who knows, with enough heat, even Xcel might notice.
Gail Schoettler (gailschoetterl@email.msn.com) is a former U.S. ambassador and Colorado lieutenant governor and treasurer. Her column appears twice a month.
