Handling an Irate Customer
That person has been me for the last several weeks, which is why this month I have a personal story to share with you.
As most of you know, I’m Denver-based. And because of the limited physical retail available in this city, I have become an avid online shopper. I like ordering from a variety of stores ranging from COS to MyTheresa. One thing I have noticed is that customer service across the board is fairly uniform – even from supposed luxury players like Net-A-Porter (once Natalie Massenet left the company, every part of the regular customer experience was executed at a cheaper level); no one is a standout for me, but neither have they been a complete failure.
Which is what has made a recent situation with a luxury, multi-vendor online store so disappointing (and no, it is not any retailer already mentioned).
The short version of this story is that my sister purchased a gift card from a British boutique with an international online store back in 2021 for me for Christmas. I never activated the card, because I was saving it until there was something I really wanted to buy post-pandemic. This past December, I decided to dig it out and use it, but had trouble activating it.
When I contacted the company directly, I was told that the card was good for one year from the date of purchase. At this point, I explained that no where on the card or the accompanying paperwork did it say that the card is only good for a year.
That is where this situation has sat since December 18th. I have now been going back-and-forth with emails and phone calls to this company for over a month and with no resolution. In addition, when dealing with the customer service reps at the company they have consistently confused my sister and myself, not emailed me back with responses to questions within the time frame they said they would, and offered to honor the card for one month but added the credit to my sister’s account instead of mine.
Let me just stress again that this is a luxury retailer.
Beyond the fact that I think it is unethical for any company to receive money for a gift card and then not honor that card, the entire experience has been a negative one. Which is why once this situation gets resolved, I will purchase whatever I can to use the credit and then delete my account and never shop with them again (ditto for my sister).
So, this is just a reminder that if your customer service is nor front of mind, regardless of whether you are selling a service or product, you are making an enormous mistake. Every interaction a customer has with your brand is a critical one; if you are not certain that your customer communications are clear and concise, you could be dropping customers at various points of their journey.
Which is why after my appalling experience, here are three customer service pointers to remember:
#1: When a customer issue arises, be sure you understand the customer’s problem and how they want it resolved. Do not assume you understand the customer’s issue; if you require clarification, ask for it kindly. Understanding from the beginning what the problem is and what the client’s expectations are will go a long way to resolving the situation quickly and positively.
#2: Be clear in how you can meet the customer’s expectations. Once you are clear on what the customer’s issue is and how they want it resolved, clearly state what you can (or cannot) do and why. This will be when your brand’s terms and conditions of purchasing will come into play, but they need to be clear and easily located on your website and receipt – not hidden somewhere in the FAQs.
#3: Resolve the issue in one or two communications - max. The longer you drag a customer situation out, the worse it will get. The customer will become more frustrated and think you are trying to avoid responsibility (or worse, that you are just stupid). Your goal when resolving customer disputes is to avoid any lasting negative impressions. Remember: Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful ways customers learn about brands; if you do not resolve customer situations quickly and calmly, I can guarantee that you will lose more than just one client.
Stay tuned for next month’s newsletter when I will let you know if this situation actually gets resolved or not.
Image courtesy of Prostock-studio / Shutterstock
