For many years I dealt with customer complaints, customers would ring me or turn up at my place of work and I would listen to them ranting about their purchase (cars – a very emotive subject), it never did me any harm. BUT it did teach me the right way to complain should the need arise.
If I have to complain about anything I do it so nicely people usually thank me for bringing the matter to their attention, it works and nobody needs to rant.
Yesterday I decided I had had enough of a mascara that I had purchased. Black, volumising and waterproof, if you believe the label.
The reality was that it was black, runny and went everywhere but my eyelashes. I gave up and went to the company website to search for an address to send it back to.
The website was very pretty, full of glamorous ladies, just as it should be – but there was no address….
There was, however, a ‘contact us’ form, I decided to go for that and ask for an address…
I filled in my contact details but the next field really surprised me:
‘Are you a blogger?’
Mmmm I’ve been called that before so ‘Yes’
Next question:
‘Will you be reviewing the outcome of this on your weblog?’
I was given choices – ‘no’, ‘maybe’ ‘probably’ or ‘definitely’
I chose the latter – I had not thought of it before, but, depending on the outcome, I might just have to iRamble about it.
I filled in the free comments box, telling the company about my problem and clicked the send button.
I thought I might have received an email or phone call just to let me know they had received my complaint, but, strangely enough I have heard nothing yet!
Now, why is that I wonder?
Is it because I might blog about it? Or do they really not care about their customers? Or, maybe they get so many complaints they haven’t got round to mine yet?
OR, and I like to think this might be the reason – my complaint has been passed to a higher bod who deals with bloggers and the fact that they might tell the world wide web about their experience? See, that is power!!!!
Sadly, the reality is the website may have had a problem and they didn’t receive my request – I’ll try again today!
Are we the un-silent majority? I hope so.
Grannymar´s last blog post..Stereotyping
Very clever Kate …… a very cunning complaint …… I wonder if I should try mascara …..mmmmm? ………
Daddy Papersurfer´s last blog post..HISTORY LESSON ? 5
Maybe they’ve got a ‘bad advertising is good advertising’ policy. Then again, it’s probably stuck in some receptionist’s in-box that they only check once in a while. Good mascara is hard to find. I’m a fan of Estee Lauder myself but can’t afford it at $35 a wand so it’s Maybelline gloop for me!
Baino´s last blog post..Friday Fuckwits
I think you should go right ahead and blog. Do a negative product review, but beware, they’ll probably be watching for it, so make sure not to say anything libellous.
ROFL!
I’ve never seen a contact form that asked if people were bloggers. I wonder what will happen.
It’s better complaining online then in person. I remember taking a bottle of ‘fizzy’ wine (that wasn’t meant to be fizzy) back to a local supermarket. I handed it to the customer services and carried on shopping.
I couldn’t believe it when I heard the girl being very rude about me to her colleagues….saying I must have tampered with it.
I tapped her on the shoulder, she went bright red and I told her in no uncertain terms where to shove my trolley full of shopping….never did my shopping there since.
Oh dear that’s more of a blog post then a comment!
Val´s last blog post..Down by the river
Give it a while longer and you will probably receive a box full of different items of makeup!
It was about 50 years ago and times were hard, when my mother found what looked like a cinder in a tin of soup. She wrote a polite letter of complaint. Weeks went by and she’d forgotten all about it, until one day the postman delivered a huge box of assorted soups and baked beans! (Such delight – you’d have thought we’d won the pools)!
I’m sure your politeness pays of too Kate (if not, there’s always the blog….shiver..
Geri Atric´s last blog post..THE WORLD IS OVERFULL
Oops, sorry about that last sentence – spelling gremlin’s at it again!
Geri Atric´s last blog post..THE WORLD IS OVERFULL
Grannymar – Oh I think we are…. I always check on the internet when I’m thinking of buying something new – and there is usually a little blogger out there with a review to help me make up my mind.
Daddy P – I don’t know what you mean… cunning? …me? And as for the mascara – you try it – it might suit you … there is one I wouldn’t recommend though….
Baino – I had a reply eventually – suggesting that it could be my fault because ‘it can be difficult to apply’ but giving me an address to send it to. I have been applying mascara since it was the stuff you had to spit on before rubbing the brush in it and applying so I think I know how it works!!! 🙂
I prefer YSL mascara but like you I settle for Maybelline now except for this mistake – bought on impulse…. mistake..
Jay – I’ve almost blogged it all already so it would probably be pointless now – I hope they are reading this!!!
Val – What can I say? Anytime you want to rant here feel free – wish I could have heard you giving it to them straight…. some supermarket staff can be very intimidating!!
Geri – my mum sent back a malt loaf once because she found a ‘foreign body’ – they sent a huge box of cakes – they were amazing and so unexpected.
My politeness usually pays off although there are some people who just like to trample it down – for those people, I have my blog!! Be very afraid! 🙂
Now that is really interesting. Blogging must be making a difference.
Barbara´s last blog post..Castle Combe, Wiltshire Pt.2
The saying goes that ?There’s a book inside all of us?, well here is a chance to let your book out. The wonderful people over at Blurb have given me 3 vouchers worth £30 off a Blurb book and to be in with a chance at winning all you need to do is pop over to my blog 365 to 42 and follow the instructions.
Hi Barbara – yes I think it does make a difference but until this I didn’t realise how much! Everything we put on these sites is visible all over the world – and I suppose if we all passed on any bad press we could cause a problem.
Bit of an update here for anyone who is interested… I received a cheque for £7-23p last Saturday. There was a letter but it just said they were refunding – so…. nothing to blog about after all!!!