My brother Mark recounts this experience he had this morning at a Boston area AT&T store:
Went to the AT&T store in Waltham, Mass at 9:45 (15 minutes before it was scheduled to open according to their site). There were about 6-7 dudes in line outside and one told me that they were “out of iPhones and only taking orders for delivery in 5-7 days.” I decided to stay in line anyway, and my decision to stay in line was confirmed to be correct as I watched a couple of customers trickle out with their new iPhones. Ten minutes later the line had grown to about ten and then the manager came out, invited all of us in for the moment we had all been anticipating for months.
The store had obviously prepared itself for the crowds as it was fully staffed and a large cooler of complimentary (non-promotional) Dasani bottled water was being emptied out and handed to me and the other excited shoppers. Then, things took a turn for the worse. Way worse… The manager got up in front of everybody and asked who was here for an iPhone. He then went on to explain that the store was only able to take orders for iPhones that would be delivered to the store in the next 5-7 days. They would take our money and when the iPhones came in we would get a call to come in and pick them up. If they were not picked up in a week, they would be shipped back and the charges reversed. He also said — and this was the kicker — that he had more iPhones in stock but he could not start selling them until Saturday morning due to his contract with Apple! And those would be on a first come, first served basis. In other words, Apple had manufactured a sell out of iPhones for the first day so as to generate “every store sold out of iPhones” hyproganda.
It’s one thing to actually sell out of your product. It’s another thing to manufacture a sell out of your product. In the age of YouTube, bloggers and accelerated word of mouth, companies must be punished for pulling this type of disingenuous disrespect for its customers. I am mad at Apple for taking me for granted! I loved my iPhone and was willing to shell out several hundred dollars for a 3G on Day one, but was turned away so Apple could get a nice sound byte on the news and the Blogs.
I am so angry that I am planning to vote with my wallet… I am going to wait and buy the BlackBerry Bold which is coming out next month.
- M. Feldman
pile:
US Airways responded to my complaint
Dear Mr. Pile,
Thank you for contacting US Airways. Please accept my personal apology for any difficulties or inconvenience caused by the delay of your flight. I realize you expected your flight to depart as scheduled; so did we. Any delay, even when weather created, is costly both financially and in customer satisfaction.
In this case, very poor weather conditions precluded the scheduled departure of your flight. Most weather delays are initiated by Air Traffic Controllers who monitor conditions all along the flight path filed by each plane. While we are compelled to abide by these decisions, we support all considerations relative to safety. Safety considerations, of course, override all flight decisions. Despite the best planning procedures, weather situations cannot be predicted, as in this instance.
Please accept my apology that your flights were disrupted and less than enjoyable as result of the malfunction of equipment onboard. It is unfortunate that the problem with the system was not detected until after departure. These In-flight services are certainly a significant component during your flight and our crew made every attempt to correct the problem. We regret the service aboard was not up to our standards and appreciate the understanding.
We appreciate and value your business. We’re working hard to earn your continued patronage. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to do so.
Sincerely,
Manny XXXXXX
US Airways Customer Relations
Compare the above form letter that Andrew received from US Airways, which didn’t really even address his multiple genuine and legitimate complaints, to this beautiful piece of proactive customer service, crafted by Virgin America.
I just turned 30, and although I don’t feel different, the hyper-targeted ads on Facebook didn’t waste any time reminding me that I’m now in a different demographic. Am I supposed to feel different, just so I can buy more products?
Fastest texter wins $50,000
At the fancy food show. Eating for free all day. Thanks Geneve!
Lisa, Ginny and Ben, at Otto’s Shrunken Head.
Yesterday I phoned a presecription refill in to Duane Reade’s automated phone system. It took less than a minute to do that.
Today, I walked into my local Duane Reade and went to the pharmacy area. There was no line, and no employees were talking on the phone or otherwise ignoring customers. I gave my last name, got the bag with the correct prescription in it, swiped my credit card, signed the book, and walked out.
I must’ve been there less than two minutes, and left with exactly what I wanted, with and no hassle or headache. In six years living in New York and countless trips to Duane Reade, I’ve never had such a smooth experience.
I fear that all this will do is raise my expectations, leading to a frustrating experience next time I wait in line for one cashier behind twelve people.
