Three of Consumer Help Web's cases this week underscore the need for consumer education throughout the country. Too often, the task is left to underfunded government agencies or the very businesses impacted (usually negatively) by well-informed consumers.
With that in mind, we selected three case studies this week where ordinary consumers like you or any of us were stonewalled by a company's representatives. The issue is not that the individual complaints were not heard, but that they were not heard by empowered decision makers.
We often talk with consumers who receive a response from a businessperson and grumble, "I don't like what they said, but I understand it." And understanding the business perspective is one of the steps in becoming a smart consumer. More important than that understanding, though, is how far and hard to escalate the matter. That escalation is our common theme this month.
The first case is a Washington, D.C. consumer who bought a Jeep at Farrish of Fairfax. The dealership is a well-regarded one. Even bbb.org, an organization that tries hard but is still an organization driven by business membership dues, notes that they have only received four complaints about the dealership in the last year. For a dealership of their size, that is a record to be proud of.
Unfortunately, our customer got stuck with a bad vehicle. Things happen. That is why there are managers and resolutions. But when George interviewed our client, he quickly learned that the sales team had buffered the company's management from the Jeep that kept experiencing mechanical difficulties. We learned that despite numerous unsuccessful repair attempts, Farrish of Fairfax left this consumer with a huge potential lifetime value in the cold. Now the consumer has contacted us in a prelude to what could easily become regulatory or legal action.
While the sales team may have thought the problem would go away, the situation simply escalated. We always train consumers to state what they want as a resolution and ask one simple question: After hearing what I want to resolve my complaint, are you empowered to take that action? If the person you are dealing with says they are, then don't compromise if you are correct. If not, then it makes great sense for everyone to move up the ladder.
Our second case was a consumer traveling on Continental Airlines. She told us that her luggage was broken on a vacation to Mexico. On the return trip, though, she arrived and the luggage didn't. The airline promised the luggage would arrive, but it didn't. When it finally did arrive, our customer was forced to return to the airport to get her bag, where she quickly discovered that her digital camera was missing. Worse, the pictures of her vacation were gone, presumably forever.
"They didn't even offer me an overnight kit," this consumer told us. But they should have, and likely would have, had they been pushed to do so. Even more important, the airline should have delivered the bag to this consumer rather than compelling her to return to the airport. As for this missing camera, a Continental employee reportedly told her that filling out a form was a waste of time. But that's the only way that Continental would have even filed a claim.
Knowing how far to push the empowered person is just as important as knowing who to push. This consumer did too much of the airline's work and is paying the price for it now.
The final case we selected this week was a lovely woman who bought her teenage son a Microsoft Zune music player. The teen not only constantly used the player, but even downloaded songs form Microsoft rather than the ubiquitous Apple iTunes store. When the family saw a dark splotch on the screen, they didn't immediately act. The area of the malfunctioning screen spread and soon, the music player stopped working.
The family called Microsoft, where a customer service representative reportedly told them that the Zune player would not be covered under warranty because it was damaged by the user. But how could a phone rep who never saw the device know that?
Exactly. They couldn't and didn't. Instead, they stonewalled the consumer, but this consumer was smart enough to fight back.
When you're faced with a stonewalling customer service representative, ask nicely for the name of that person's immediate supervisor. Then ask to be connected to that person. If the representative refuses or offers someone else, hold fast. Climb the corporate ladder until you speak with someone willing to take action.
We'll keep you all apprised of what happens with these consumers and the companies that stonewalled them.
Labels: consumer, Continental Airlines, customer service, Farrish, luggage, Microsoft, Zune
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