One of the "common person's" biggest problems in a democratic society today is taking on large corporations, employers, the Government, etc. One of the main reasons is a lack of financial resources to take them to court to get fair service out of them. There are numerous tactics employed by these organisations, but they all know that the most effective way is to just ignore the problem and it will probably just go away. Anyway what are a few problems compared to the number of happy customers we have? But are they really happy?? Maybe they just cannot go anywhere else, or maybe they do not know how or where to air their grievances, or maybe they are just not bothered to take it further!!
In a democratic society, unless there is a "legal monopoly", you have the right and choice to choose your supplier and can take your custom elsewhere. But even so, it often leaves a bitter after taste in your mouth. And unless there is a controlling body such as in the case of ANSI, ISO or some other government fair practice organisation, there is no redress of wrongs or chance to say "I don't feel it was fair!".
Well the Internet has changed that to some extent! It is now possible for a mortal person to say his / her piece. And so here is my piece. I was so moved to frustration by being just ignored and not even receiving replies from a corporation that I have started my list off today on 1998-01-01. It can be seen as my New Years resolution (1998) to not get pushed around by corporations and have to just except it. I lost sleep over it, so I decided to get it off my chest. After publishing a transcript of my problems on the Internet, the company promptly settled with me within days.
There are some basic rules though before going as far as actually publishing your grievances all over the Internet:
- Always first try speaking to the company.
- Then put your problems clearly in writing and fax them to the company.
- Always keep record of all telephone calls and correspondence. If a problem develops later these records are an absolute must.
- Send a copy of your records to the company in writing and say what you intend to do. This is to give them a chance to address your problems.
- After this contact a relevant service or consumer organisation for advice and opinion.
- If you publish anything later on the Internet make sure sure you stick to quoting correspondence and records that can be proven.
- Remember one of the biggest problems is communication between the parties - don't you make the problem worse!!
Take heed of the following advice:
- Put your requirements in writing.
- Get a signed copy of the guarantee in writing.
- Don't sign a quote as it is often a contract which you may be stuck with.
- Never pay part payments up front (especially to builders - this happened to my aunt and the job was just never completed).
- Always read the fine print on a contract. A company must forward a copy of the contract within 14 days. Always keep it in a safe place.
- Remember, its not yours until it is paid for in full.
- Check for cash discounts, and be aware of what you are paying extra for credit. Always try negotiate a cash discount.
- Inspect the goods / job thoroughly before acknowledging acceptance.
- Make sure you always obtain a proper receipt for ANY money paid. Always keep receipts in a safe place.
- Buy used cars from members of the Motor Industry Federation, builders from National Homebuilders' Registration Council, estate agents from Estate Agents' Board, etc. These councils also usually will investigate grievances.
- Be careful of special low credit offers as often this is only valid for the first few months or year.
- Always enquire about extra costs such as admin fees, registration costs, finance costs, stamp fees, etc.
- Before entering into contracts for building, housing, etc in South Africa, first read this.
Suppliers, don't fall into this trap! Read about the "Bug Letter". It is a good idea to appoint a Quality Representative to not only take pro-active action in the case of internal service problems, but also to act as a common point for customers to make their complaints. Such a person should have direct access to the executive management and be able to escalate serious issues to this level. This person should really believe in improving customer service and not merely be a "window dressing" exercise. Make sure you have a formal system for dealing with customer complaints eg. ISO9000.
It is also a good idea from a company point of view to look at establishing an ISO9000 Quality Management System. Such a system helps ensure that consistent service / products are produced that conform to the customer's requirements. There is emphasis on continuous improvement, handling of non-conformances, corrective action, company vision and quality objectives, etc. There are also other excellent quality systems such as the Business Excellence Model in Europe which is possibly more flexible than ISO and puts more emphasis on improvement. See my favourite links for more quality related sites and information.
Remember that once you have lost a client's custom, it is very unlikely that you will win them back again. If you do, it will probably cost you much more than it would have to have just kept them in the first place! A little bit of proactive service goes a long way. "You need the customer", not "the customer needs you".
It is not always the cheapest price that wins clients. It may play a very big role, but it is often the smaller things that do not cost much (attitude, smiles, interest, advice, etc) that swing the weight when it comes to a client making a decision. These small things need to be genuine for them to count - if they are false you will do far more harm than good. They always say for public speaking: "If you do not have an aptitude for telling jokes, then don't try when you make a speech because it will just fall flat". Quality also need not be expensive - if it is you are aiming too high. Just give value for money and deliver what you promised. Even manufacturing cheap pens can be quality products and service, as long as you did not promise a reliable one and you delivered an inferior product.
My one word synonym for the word "quality"............. attitude!
If you have queries, suggestions, quality problems, or just want to know more please feel free to mail me.
Click to find out what happened
Further Reading on Quality
of Service
Service Please - South Africa by Norman
Blem ISBN 0-7021-3233-0
Quality is Free by Philip
B. Crosby ISBN 0-451-62585-4
Consumer Protection, Freedom of Contract and The Law by Peter Aronstam ISBN
0-7021-0984-3
Send your complaints
directly to these Sites
Consumer Affairs Committee (012)310-9562
Quality Concepts
None of these opinions in any way reflect those of my employer. These pages are entirely private.
Last Updated: Saturday, 28 May 2005