I ordered a new Lavaliere microphone from an on-line company and was very impressed with the helpfulness of the sales-person. This is not uncommon with most tele-sales people. I was even more impressed with the package and its contents when it arrived (I paid extra for express mail).
The candy was a surprising touch. The thank you card offered a postage paid response to customer service and the company brochure was personal and complete, full of ‘how to do business with us’ information and more.
During the first use of the microphone a month ago, in front of a live audience, the lapel clip came off the microphone, allowing the mic to dangle free. When I reached up to grab it, the lapel clip fell to the carpeted floor. After the event, I, with help searched, but never found the lapel clip. And, a lapel clip microphone without the clip is useless.
I called a couple of days after the event and left a voice mail for the sales-person, telling her what happened. I did not get a return call. A few days later I was able to reach her and of course had to start all over with the story of what happened. She said she was going to see if they had replacement clips and would send one to me. Again, days went by without hearing a word.
She called last week to tell met…she emailed the tech department 5 days before but they had not responded to her email. She said she would email them again. I said, “I don’t know how big your company facility is or how many employees you have, but wouldn’t it be easier just to walk down the hall and ask, instead of playing email tag?” Silence on the other end and finally she said, “I’ll keep trying”.
The difference in try and triumph is a little ‘umph’. Wasn’t it Yoda who said, “Do or do not, there is no try”.
Now for the rest of the story…the replacement clip just arrived, a month after the incident and without a phone call, to inform me that they were sending the clip. The difference of attention from a seller when you are a prospect or in the buying process is day and night as compared to being a customer with a problem. I hope it wasn’t because the purchase I made was not a lot of money or that I am not a regular customer. It’s now difficult to get me to be either.