We Pros talk often to retailers, both brick and mortar and online stores. What we hear is surprisingly common to both retail environments, and describes customer behavior that would have previously been unthinkable.
Lets share some recent stores. From Pulliam Pools in Ft. Worth, Texas:
“A customer called in recently to say he had purchased a 100-pound bucket of chlorine in 1999 and never received it. He felt we should give him another because, and I quote, ‘Right is just right, dammit!’ . When they pulled the file to show the customer that it was delivered. The customer stated, ‘Oh, OK, can you go ahead and schedule a service call for me then?’
Is this a case of a customer trying to get over on the store? Is this a case of the economy pushing consumers to be ever more vigilant with their hard earned dollars?
An online retailer recently was contacted by a customer, who stated they were going to contact the Better Business Bureau, the state attorney’s office, a private personal injury attorney and their “friends” who were professional bloggers if they were not taken care of. The problem was claimed to be the fault of the hot tub covers vapor barrier disintegrating into their hot tub, causing health issues for the members of the customer’s family. The customer demanded, 1). A new 6 person hot tub of their choosing, 2). An agreement to provide hot tub covers for the life of the hot tub, 3). A $10,000 check for their troubles. The personal injury attorney was copied on the email.
The customer’s email stated that this was the fourth cover they purchased in the last 8 years, which means that their covers are lasting about two years. Lo and behold, the fourth cover lasted only two years also. Finally, the customer mentioned the previous hot tub cover stores had traced the cause of the short lived covers to the customers use of an ozonator.
Online retailers are held to the highest standards due to the ease of a customer’s ability to leave a negative review on sites such as Yelp, Amazon, ResellerRatings, eOpinions, etc. Customers know this, and push online retailers past the limits of sensibility, using the threat of a negative review that lasts forever!
Is this due to the economy? Is this just another symptom of a society that no longer values morals, doing the right thing, civics and even simple decency? Where will this end?
Happy Tubbing
Ethel Elliott
