Archive for December, 2008
Most Awkward Consumer Trend of 2008: Feedback Bribery [Feedback Bribery]
One of the interesting customer service trends of 2008 has been corporate pandering to customers who leave negative feedback on Amazon.com or company sites. Here’s a look at the past year in bribery!
It all started with TheCellShop.net, who was willing to give you $5 in credit if you left a 10/10 review (they later claimed it was a typo, and that all reviews, be they good or bad, would receive the $5 credit).
MyGearStore, a seller on Amazon.com, made the first real step into feedback bribery by offering a partial refund if a customer increased his otherwise neutral review of their product. After that, the rest seemed entirely based on negative feedback alone: Camenta Camera, Allen’s Green Beans, and Eforcity all revealed their nefarious bribing souls. And it’s not over yet, folks; at the cusp of the new year, a new (and more prominent) player walks into the world of the feedback bribe: Ritz Camera!
Reader Dan writes:
Several weeks ago, my girlfriend orders a digital frame from on Amazon to give as a Christmas present. The order is completed via Amazon to Ritz Camera. She gets a confirmation from both parties, and assumes everything is ok. A week later, she gets an email from Ritz saying that the frame she ordered is not in stock and would not be shipped. She immediately calls up customer service, explains what happened, and is told that in fact, the frame IS available. The CSR processes another order for the frame and a confirmation email follows shortly. Four days after that interaction, another email stating (surprise!) the frame is unavailable and wont be shipped. She again calls, this time they do say that it is out of stock and even worse, the model is discontinued. She says she wants a comperable frame for a comperable price (side note: frame was $50 and brand name – Kodak). They offer her a $100 off brand frame. Needless to say, she does not order the new frame and leaves the situation upset.
His girlfriend, mad as hell, reviews the order as follows:
“Seller waited more than a week to notify me that the item was not in stock. When I called customer service, they said that the item was in fact available and processed another order. Four days later, the company notified me again that the item was not available and refused to assist with the situation. Customer service was by far the worst I have ever experience. Will never order here again.”
And Ritz’s response:
Dear Melissa,
Thank you for providing an opportunity to be of assistance.
This is with regard to your order number 2229816.
We understand that you are quiet upset as the order was canceled. We just need another chance so that we can reinstate your confidence in us by providing a good customer service and excellent online shopping experience. We believe we will get it from your side.
We request you to remove the negative feedback posted on Amazon and we will be more than happy to offer a $20.00 Gift Certificate to you.
Your attention in this matter would be highly appreciated. We believe that you will contact us at the earliest.
Please feel free to contact us for further assistance.
Sincerely,
Brenda Jones,
Customer Service,
www.RitzCamera.com.
Aren’t bribes supposed to be hush-hush? All subtlety and perception? I figured they were on the right track with “We believe we will get it from your side” (imagine that being said in a thick European accent by a man wearing a pinstripe suit) but they lose their cool when they spill it out on the table in the next line.
So what can we learn, Consumerists? Well, if one thing is to be sure, it is always to make sure to leave feedback where possible. It could actually end up being pretty lucrative for you! Of course, if it was a really interesting experience, I know of a website who might be interested in hearing about it…
pink floyd play the moon
28 Dec, 2008 • posts i've written • No comments
Seven seconds after I was born, the space shuttle Columbia lifted off on its first operational mission. My middle name, Allen, comes from Joe Allen, a member of the four man crew. My mother remembers staring at the television set above her hospital bed, seeing the name, and hoping for a worthwhile life for her second son.
Space travel is getting lame. I don’t mean the purpose or the value of the thing, please send me to Mars, but how we talk about space travel and how we experience it is definitely lame. When was the last time you paid any attention to a mission that didn’t end in the loss of human life? This could be the most important scientific work of any generation, yet it’s lack of any unique or engaging qualities could mean the end of interest, the end of funding, and the end to our very existence.
Nasa, you need more than a new website (it’s a nice site though, kudos). You need relevance again, you need a heroic vision, and you need to cultivate your die-hard fans better than you have been. Private enterprise is threatening your livelihood. Do you really want to let Branson win this one?
During the Apollo 11 moon landing, the BBC asked Pink Floyd to come on set and record a free-form improvisational track while images of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin bouncing around on the surface of the moon were broadcast to millions of homes in Europe. Space flight has certainly lost some of its cool.
Dental brace yourself
The site for the product you don’t expect to find promoted on the Web: dental braces. Yes, there is a Spanish dental braces manufacturer who decide to ride the “elf yourself” wave its own way…
Upload a picture, select the dental braces model you prefer and preview how you will look like.
Merry Christmas the Coca Cola way
I know I arrive a few days later than due, but I’d like to wish Merry Christmas to everybody sharing this amusing website created by Gringo for Coca-Cola Brazil.
The site allows you to send amusing animated Christmas cards wishing love, health, luck etc… to your relatives and friends. Video plays an important role in the mechanism, as you have an elf at your disposal to deliver your friends with a personalized message.
what are your overheads?
27 Dec, 2008 • posts i've written • No comments
Flipping through my Reader, I came across this article on Valleywag about Digg’s $5 million annual net loss:
BusinessWeek’s Spencer Ante got ahold of Digg’s financial statements. They are frightful, even for a startup. Last year, the company took in $4.8 million and spent $7.6 million, for a loss of $2.8 million. In the first nine months of this year, losses grew almost as fast as revenues: Digg took in $6.4 million and spent $10.4 million, resulting in a $4 million loss. At an annual clip, that’s more than $5 million out the door a year.
And I was reminded of a few lyrics from a song…
They’re turning kids into slaves just to make cheaper sneakers
But what’s the real cost?
Cause the sneakers don’t seem that much cheaper
Why are we still paying so much for sneakers when you got them made by little slave kids?
What’s your overhead?
The article goes on to talk about how Digg is being sheltered by a massive inventory buy from Microsoft, but overall with their funding, the five million dollar annual leak isn’t a critical issue. Sure, whatever.
But I’d love to know how that $7.6 million was spent. Did the makeover in August 2007 really cost that much? Is Kevin Rose flying around the world in a solid gold jet? Are they paying the elite Digg users ‘protection-money’ for not overtaking the site?
Ok ok. Starting a business costs money, sure. But the great white web 2.0 hope, Digg isn’t. With newspapers hemmoraging money, I was hoping a site like Digg, powered solely by the free contributions of the crowd, would be lean and mean. Instead, they’re living like MC Hammer.
