Dangers of Bad Customer Service in Subang Jaya | Customer Satisfaction
Discover the significant dangers of bad customer service in Subang Jaya and how it impacts customer satisfaction. Learn why providing excellent service is crucial for business success.
MONTHLY STATEMENTS
Huzir Sulaiman narrated his story a few days ago that i felt i should share with you.
On Christmas Day - December 25th 2008, my wife took her parents to the showroom of a big famous furniture store in Subang Jaya. They are looking for a big trudle bed to replace their narrow and ancient guest bed, which I suspect has been there since independence.
The bed in the showroom is suitable and seems well made, but has a white leatherette headboard, which my mother-in-law does not like at all. The salesgirl says there are other color options, and shows them a headboard in a color called Earth, which is less garish and seems it would be easier to keep clean.
They like Earth, and they decide to get the bed.
Another salesman finalizes their order. He says it will take two weeks for them to get the trundle bed with the headboard in Earth, because they do not have it in stock and it has to be custom made in Singapore.
They pay for it in full, making sure that the salesman records the facts that they want the headboard in Earth, not in White. Delivery is set for either Jan 9 or 10.
So far, so good.
On January 3rd, my wife called their customer service line to ask if they can tell her on which of the two days delivery will take place. The customer service woman who picks up the phone announces that she has no access to any information about orders, and that my wife needs to speak to the original salesman, who is not around. She says she will get the salesman to call my wife back.
Nobody calls my wife back.
On January 9th, when my wife is not in, the delivery man turns up at her parents' house in Petaling Jaya with the bed.
The headboard, however, is not in Earth.
The headboard is white.
My mother-in-law naturally refuses to accept it, and tells the delivery man to take it back. The delivery man grudgingly checks his order, and sees that, lo and behold, the headboard is indeed supposed to be in Earth, and not in White. He takes the bed back.
My father-in-law, distressed, calls the customer service hotline. They tell him they do not know anything about the order, but they will look into it and call him back.
Nobody calls him back.
My wife, apprised of the situation, calls the company again. This time, the lady who picks up the phone happens, by chance, to be standing not far from the original salesman, and summons him to deal with the situation.
My wife patiently explains that the wrong color was delivered so they sent it back, and asks him when they can send the correct bed. He says he will call back to tell us when they can make the delivery. Hand-phone numbers are duly exchanged.
My wife and I go out to buy groceries.
This is a mistake.
In our absence, the salesman calls the house again, and not my wife's hand-phone. My father-in-law answers. They tell him they need a photograph of the bed.
"A what?" he says.
"We need a photograph of the bed, so we can put in your request for a change of color."
My father-in-law is totally bewildered. He calls my wife on her hand-phone and tells her what has transpired. He says he is fed up, and just wants a refund.
She calls the sales man.
"Ah yes. We need a photograph so we can put in your request for a change of color," he says.
"A photograph of what exactly?"
"Of the bed."
"What bed?" My wife's eyes are glinting dangerously.
"The bed you have."
"We have no bed! I told you already, we sent it back!" We are standing in front of the supermarket, and people are looking at us. "THERE IS NO BED TO PHOTOGRAPH!"
"But if you want to change the color, our policy is that we need a photograph."
"WE ARE NOT CHANGING THE COLOR! YOU SENT US THE WRONG BED!"
"Oh, I see," says the salesman.
My wife asks how her father can get a refund. He says he will have to check with the manager and call her back. She shakes her head in disbelief. We finish our grocery shopping.
The salesman calls her back and tells her that in order for them to get a refund, my father-in-law will have to bring his credit card and his identity card to the showroom, in person, and fill in a form, and then they will issue a credit note, and it will take seven days for the money to be refunded to the credit card.
By now, my wife is beginning to think it is unlikely that the company will refund the money in seven days, or at all. And her parents still need a guest bed. So, sighing, she asks the salesman when he thinks they can deliver the bed with the headboard in Earth.
He says there are five beds with the headboard in Earth sitting in Subang Jaya warehouse, and they have been all along. He says he will call her back on Monday, 12th January to confirm when they can deliver one.
My wife has to leave Kuala Lumpur before Monday, so she asks him to call her sister. He promises to do so. On Monday, the salesman does not call my sister-in-law. So she calls the customer service hotline. They tell her there are no more headboards in Earth in the warehouse.
She is flummoxed. So she does what all Malaysians are forced to do: try and use personal connections to resolve what should be a simple problem.
A friend of hers puts her in touch with the furniture company's Marketing Manager. My sister-in-law explains the situation to him from the beginning. He tells her he will find out what is happening and get back to her.
He calls to tell her it will take another 21days to get the bed with the headboard in Earth.
My sister-in-law tells him this is unacceptable. He says he will see what he can do.
He calls back. He has located a bed with a headboard in Earth at Ipoh warehouse, and he will get it sent down to the Subang Jaya warehouse.
"But by the way, ah," the Marketing Manager says, "why did you change the color?"
My sister-in-law takes a deep breath, and explains again.
"Oh, I see," he says, and tells her the bed will be delivered on Friday, 16th January.
On Friday, my sister-in-law and her parents wait the whole day. The bed does not arrive. They call the Marketing Manager, who says he will have to check.
"Can we get it tomorrow?" my sister-in-law asks.
"We do not deliver on weekends."
My sister-in-law calls the Customer Service hotline. She gets the service manager. She explains the whole situation to this lady. The Service Manager says she will find out what's going on.
The Service Manager calls her back. The Earth color has arrived at the Subang Jaya warehouse, and can be delivered on Saturday, 17th January.
"But your Marketing Manager said you do not deliver on weekends?"
"No, no, of-course we deliver on weekends. You will get it by three o'clock."
The next day my wife returns to Kuala Lumpur. She and her sister and their parents all wait for the bed. At noon they call the company to reconfirm. The service Manager gives them the number of the warehouse. They call the warehouse. The warehouse man says the bed has been loaded on to the lorry, and they will definitely get it by three o'clock, because it is their first delivery for the day.
By three o"clock, there is still no sign of the bed. They call the warehouse. The warehouse man says the lorry has not left yet. Oh, and he does not know where the driver is.
They call the Service Manager. Her number is engaged. Finally, they get through. The Service Manager gives them the number of the lorry driver.
They call the lorry driver. He says he can make the delivery by five o"clock at the least.
Five o'clock comes. Still no bed. They call the driver. He is stuck in a bad jam, he says. "I'll be there by 6:30pm, guarantee!" He arrives at 7pm, apologizing profusely. The bed is unloaded, brought to the guest room, and unwrapped.
There is a silence.
My wife, her sister, and their parents look at each other, stunned.
The headboard is not Earth.
The headboard is in White.
To succeed progressively, companies need excellent communication skills across all departments, formalization, span of control and exclusive leadership without which it can not stand out. SINCERELY, if it were you, would you dare go back to such a company?
Principles similar to this will be brought to you in a couple of months in "our" next book "YOU CAN ACHIEVE ALL YOUR DREAMS only if you choose to" which i co-author alongside two of the greatest writers on this planet. Get prepared for the best product Africa has ever produced to date.
You can also currently get similar principles in my financial book "AWAKEN THE FINANCIAL GENIUS IN YOU" in any of the outlets next to you. Watch out for the website that will soon be a market source for my ebooks that will be accessed anywhere on the globe.
I wish you luck, health, wealth and happiness in the fabulous gift of LIFE.
Thank you,
Tonny Rutakirwa,
Author, Networker, Businessman, Investor and Entrepreneur.