15 Jan 2009

Good and bad customer services

Written by Brian Teeman
thumbs up

Just before the holidays I took part in an online survey and not a small one it must have taken nearly an hour to complete.

As a thank you the research company that carried out the survey sent me a $15 voucher to spend at amazon.com.

This was an unexpected surprise and I was really grateful. So I rushed off to my local amazon (.co.uk) to spend my voucher on a trashy novel.

Surprise surprise amazon.co.uk do not accept amazon.com gift vouchers! They're the same company but it would appear that if I want to spend the voucher I have to do it in the american store. Which obviously would be a waste of time as the voucher would just about cover the shipping costs.

I did email both amazon.com and amazon.co.uk asking why the vouchers weren't honoured and if there was a way I could exchange the US voucher for a UK voucher.

Guess what? I never even got a reply.

But the good news is that an email to the research company, elicited a much more positive response. After a quick check with Amazon that I was correct they pulled out the credit card and purchased a one off voucher for me at amazon.co.uk.

Thank you Vinnie La Russa of Koski Research I know that I wasn't your direct client and that you didn't have to do this.

You are a fine example of a company that listens and acts.

 

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About Brian Teeman

  • As a co-founder of Joomla! and OpenSourceMatters Inc I've never been known to be lacking an opinion or being too afraid to express it.

    Despite what some people might think I'm a shy and modest man who doesnt like to blow his own trumpet or boast about achievements.

    But it seems that no blog exists without an "About" page so rather than talk about what an amazingly great guy I am and list all the things I've achieved (and failed at) in life from my Cycling Proficiency Test in 1976 to winning an award for the "UK Individual Contribution to Open / Source" in 2005 here are some links.

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