This post is not what you think it is: We deal with our customers all day. I like to think that we remember to treat them as what they are: Our only source of success, the only barometer that matters… You can “win” and still lose when you forget who pays the bills.
This post is about the B2B relationships we all have where WE are the customers. I am astounded, frustrated and pi$$ed off about the standard that my vendors DO NOT hold themselves to. I have had a couple of experiences lately where it has become clear to me that the vendor I buy a product or service from has forgotten which way the money flows! In case any of you morons are reading here: WHEN I PAY YOU FOR A PRODUCT OR A SERVICE, I AM THE CUSTOMER!!!
Just a reactionary post, but I am going to vote my dollars. 'Nuf said.
It must be something in the air. I just finished sending one of my sales reps a nice reminder that he needs contact ME when he has communication for me not my staff.
The germs have flowed to Australia as well. I have had an issue with the refrigeration company for me not paying a $700 bill, which I hadn’t. It was forwarranty work done to our new coolroom compressor and evaporator that they installed. I refused to pay and sent them letters and had numerous phone calls. The other wek it had a problem so I phoned them but they siad we were on “stop”. I finally got through to the State Manager and after so tense moments with me threatening them with legal action they finally checked the records and saw it was a warranty and hence they wiped the bill. Thing is they are prompt in getting out, do a good job, reliable, fair costs but have a complete stupid accounts system. I told them I was far from impressed by haveing the “stop” put on my account. The Manager was apologetic so I guess I will leave it apology accepted.
My main vendor on the other hand has had a few items returned due to product fault. New product came outsid of delivery day, credits issued immediately and they followed up with the manufacturers and then got back to me with details. What more can you ask for.
Good Lord, I could write a novel on the problems I’ve been having getting other companies not just doing the job properly, but in some cases doing the job at all. Whenever someone asks me about the challenges of owning my own business, I always tell them “the hardest part of running a business is dealing with the other businesses you have to rely on.”
Let’s see: Phone guy not finish job from December 09 despite weekly calls (part of the job can only be done by one guy - the owner of company). Online ordering company not sending orders 100% of time, fired, new company working on setup since April. Coke suddenly having a hissy fit because we’re selling a non-Coke product on our machine - this has been fine for the past 10 years - but now they’re making us remove it (hello Pepsi!). Four visits from 2 different HVAC companies to repair our A/C in the past two weeks with 5th visit this morning to see if it’s finally been done right.
I’m sure there’s more, but thinking about this is depressing me. Anyone want to buy a couple of delco pizzerias?
I would like to add a story that happen many years back that still sticks with me as it was very concerning as is could have had a bad outcome for a great many people. My family business would receive 3-4 semi loads of chicken a week from the nations largest chicken processor…not mentioning names… This would be pre-cooked and a variety of types from all white to mixed depending on what type of finished product we were using it for. One day my dock mgr. called me out to smell something. Now…chicken loads from the mfg. even when quick frozen and shipped have an off smell when you open the door of a truck because they give off a gas in transport. They do not store chicken…it gets cooked and shipped. This truck was rancid. Each truck is sealed from the outside to show tampering and has an electronic temp monitor inside so we can pull up storage temps while in transport. This load…which usually ships and is in tansit for 1 and a half days…was on the road for 4 days and showed it reached 117 degrees inside the trailer at one point of the trip! :shock: Oh…yeah… after a few calls and getting nowhere…and then basically lying to the driver and saying that his dispatcher told me everything I just need him to verify the time frame…oh…his refer went down and he stopped to have it serviced and they unloaded his load and it sat on a dock for 9 hours outside! Not to drag this on…we took temps… some infrared some with metal probes… we also marked the pallets and random cases with ultraviolet stamps and dates. Now this is $100,000 worth of chicken. We rejected it. Obviously. It left and we were told another load would replace it within 24 hours that was already in route. Good customer service on the replace…bad on the dispatcher for the first part. Lets continue. Next day… new truck… new trailer… new safety seal… new temp monitor… Wait…same holes from our temp guages…take out the black light…our stamps! SAME LOAD OF SPOILED CHICKEN! The SOB’s re-trailered the load and sent it back after it had cooled down to shipping temps. Well we have a full time USDA inspector on site at our production facility and now I know why. Normally we do not like to cause headaches but this was such BS that something had to be done and it was and they were fined for it. I know this takes customer service to the extreme but this had the potential to really affect many people. It makes one wonder how many times they get away with crap like this. We all know it happens all the time and we the business with our name on the finish product take the hit everytime. :x
I know this feeling. I know this feeling well, it’s baffling the way some businesses treat people.
Had our HVAC guy try and bump me last week until after the weekend because he “had a bank job come up”. They waited on the bank job.
Radio station that’s been flirting with me for awhile came in to offer a special package for August that I wanted to try out. It was 30 second commercials and I told them I would take two so I could run 60 second ads, all of a sudden they wanted guaranteed amount of dollars I would spend, donations for giveaways, a promise to sponsor two 2 hour afternoon segments on a weekend when the students are moving back into the dorms, etc. :roll:
Well, it only took three weeks of not ordering from them for them to ask if something was wrong. I will be interested to see if our conversation leads to anything changing.