I posted yesterday about my friend Lindsay getting pressured by iPhone "repair specialists" iResQ to remove a blog posting she had made complaining about iResQ's poor customer service and the "SAME DAY - fastest service on the planet" repair that had dragged on for over two weeks.

Lindsay's blog is only read by a very small audience of close friends and family. But by pressuring her to censor herself, iResQ pissed off and inspired both serolynne and myself to write about the issue, and we each have much more substantial audiences (and also enough Google rank to show up in searches).

The dominos continued to fall, and our friend maradydd saw my post, and passed Lindsay's story on to the Internet giant Cory Doctorow and BoingBoing. Soon the story was live on BoingBoing, and what had been a minor blog post to an audience of dozens was now featured on a site with a monthly readership of over TWO MILLION individuals.

All of this happened in less than twenty four hours.


For years I have considered The Cluetrain Manifesto essential reading about how online connected markets work.

A few key thesis from the Cluetrain:

1. Markets are conversations.
6. The Internet is enabling conversations among human beings that were simply not possible in the era of mass media.
9. These networked conversations are enabling powerful new forms of social organization and knowledge exchange to emerge.
10. As a result, markets are getting smarter, more informed, more organized. Participation in a networked market changes people fundamentally.
11. People in networked markets have figured out that they get far better information and support from one another than from vendors. So much for corporate rhetoric about adding value to commoditized products.
12. There are no secrets. The networked market knows more than companies do about their own products. And whether the news is good or bad, they tell everyone.

iResQ just got run over by the Cluetrain in a big way. Hopefully they are learning a lesson.

The general manager of iResQ has now gone out of his way to contact Lindsay to apologize, and to offer a full refund. iResQ has fallen on their sword. But have they learned?

Here is Lindsay's latest post:

Hooray for persistence, the amazing webspace that brings together friends, family and strangers, and the eventual triumph of customer service. The general manager of iResQ called and left me a humbling apology and offered a full refund of the money I paid to get my iphone's screen replaced. He was courteous, humbled, and apologetic about my prior experiences with the customer service department at iResQ . . . he in no way endorsed the attempt of another iResQ employee to retract his offer of a partial refund unless I removed my "letter of complaint" from my blog. . . . I was assured he will continue to work with his customer service department so this deplorable situation won't happen again.

Thanks to all of you who read my blog postings, commented, or empathized with my outrage! I hope this experience has turned into a learning one for a company which has a lot to lose by failing to make their advertised service turnaround times, providing less-than-adequate customer service and sending veiled threats to blog authors.

The power of the Internet - for great justice!

Recently my friend Lindsay shattered the screen on her iPhone.

She sent it off to the Apple Authorized repair service iResQ for urgent surgergy, choosing them because they offer overnight shipping and they claim to do same day repair: "Regardless of the shipping method you choose, we will replace your screen the SAME DAY that your iPhone 3G arrives at our repair facility. It's the fastest service on the planet, and we have performed thousands of repairs."

Fastest on the planet?!?? Clearly not.

After nearly two weeks without her phone, Lindsay was getting the run around from iResQ customer service. Only after she posted her complaint letter to her blog did iResQ reach out her.

They offered to refund the diagnostic fee, and the fee for overnight (!!!) shipping, and she accepted their offer.

But then they contacted her again, and told her that they would rescind those discounts unless she deletes her blog posting about them.

WTF? Hell no!

Consumers honestly sharing their experiences is absolutely fundamental to the online marketplace. Haven't these folks ever heard of The Cluetrain Manifesto??? It is futile to try and keep your customers from talking about you. Attempting to do so will only result in a backlash.

Consider this part of the backlash.

iResQ tried to stifle a post on a tiny blog only read by a few of Lindsay's closest friends and family. And by doing so, they are getting slammed today by serolynne and I to a MUCH larger audience.

Kudos to Lindsay for holding her ground and standing up to a bully. And shame on iResQ - they should know better!

UPDATE: It looks like the general manager of iResQ saw how badly his company was getting pummeled in the blogosphere, particularly after no less than Cory Doctorow and BoingBoing picked up the cause. iResQ has now fallen on their sword, apologized to Lindsay, and issued a full refund. Here is Lindsay's latest post:

Hooray for persistence, the amazing webspace that brings together friends, family and strangers, and the eventual triumph of customer service. The general manager of iResQ called and left me a humbling apology and offered a full refund of the money I paid to get my iphone's screen replaced. He was courteous, humbled, and apologetic about my prior experiences with the customer service department at iResQ . . . he in no way endorsed the attempt of another iResQ employee to retract his offer of a partial refund unless I removed my "letter of complaint" from my blog. . . . I was assured he will continue to work with his customer service department so this deplorable situation won't happen again.

Thanks to all of you who read my blog postings, commented, or empathized with my outrage! I hope this experience has turned into a learning one for a company which has a lot to lose by failing to make their advertised service turnaround times, providing less-than-adequate customer service and sending veiled threats to blog authors.

For great justice!

One of my tech missions while staying with my parents this month was to help them make the switch from DSL and Dish to cable. That should be simple enough, right?

As if!

Wednesday: First off - Charter has the most painfully cryptic website and ordering process I could imagine. It is beyond cumbersome, and nearly impossible to figure out what channels are offered at what cost. Even figuring out the "normal" price after the initial six month promotion is difficult.

And what exactly is the difference between the package with "tons of great entertainment and expanded programming!" and "the most popular channels to entertain the whole family!" Why can't they just list the channels up front?!!??

Once I figured out what I think we wanted, I couldn't find a way to place the order online successfully without ending up with a lot of other stuff I don't want bundled in. But I also couldn't call to ask for help, or else I'd forfeit the $50 gift card for online orders.

Eventually (after spending way too much time on this) I managed to piece together a package with the help of "Chamier" using the online chat system. But Chamier kept coming up with package prices for me that were different (cheaper!) than the packages listed on the web. Sure - cheaper is good. But why the difference?

He then claimed the installation charge would be $119 - outrageously higher than the $39 installation fee the website lists. Chamier claimed that his computer would not allow him to change the installation charge, but he did offer me a Friday morning (8AM till noon) installation appointment, which I accepted. I figured once the order was placed, I could call Charter directly to work out the installation charge discrepancy.


Thursday: Thursday afternoon I called Charter and fought through their phone tree hell system ("Are you calling about ESPN college football?? Please enter your phone number. Your phone number is invalid. Please enter your phone number....") until I reached a human (who promptly asked me for my phone number!) to ask about the installation charge. The service rep told me that the installation charge would be $59, and she could not explain why her price was different than the web's $39 or Chamier's $119. She also could not look up the details of the package I had ordered to confirm the monthly price - telling me that the computer does not list it until after the installation is complete, but I could call back after to find out what the monthly bill will be. Huh?!? I asked her if we could consider this a reactivation and not an installation, since my parents have had Charter before (two years ago) and the house is pre-wired for cable. There is actually no installation work to do other than plug a few things in. "Sure - we can do a reactivation fee. The total for that will be $79." Reactivation costs more than installation?!?? I opt for the cheaper "installation" and, ask her to confirm the time.

"Your appointment is scheduled for 1pm to 5pm tomorrow." And of course - she had no idea why the appointment time was now different than the one Chamier had given me the day before. Frustrated but hopeful, I hung up.


Friday: Up at 5AM to take my parent's to the airport, and then back with not enough time before 1pm to do much away from home. At 11:30am as Cherie and I are about to head out for lunch (making sure we will be back by 1pm) the phone rings, and it is a computer voice telling me that the technician is on his way and will be arriving between 12:30 and 1:30. Uhm, what if we had been gone and not back until the previously planned 1pm? Ok - we can wait, and we plan to head out to lunch afterwards...

At 2:30pm, hungry, and with no cable guy in sight, I give up and call Charter. "Oh, no - your appointment is 1pm to 5pm... I've had other customers call to complain about the voice notification system - it is totally useless...."

Cherie heads out to get us some takeout lunch, and I continue to wait.

At 4:30pm I get a call from the Charter technician. He is lost, and he is driving around Columbia at random. I give him directions, and keep waiting. Ten minutes later he calls again - he has forgotten then name of the street to turn on! I repeat it, and he realizes he has just driven past it. Five minutes later he arrives.

I show the technician (Derrick) where things need to be set up, and where the satellite wiring needs to be disconnected. I've already traced where all the existing cable lines are, and I show him exactly what needs to be done. I tell him not to damage our Dish setup - in case we ever want to switch to it again.

I head inside while Derrick frets in his truck. When I walk back out and around to the side of the house I notice that rather than unscrew the wires going into the Dish wiring block, Derrick has cut them. Uhm...

But, we'll have cable soon enough, so not a big deal, right?

I then notice Derrick working on the box up near the curb, and I see him kick it violently. He then comes inside and says "there is a problem - I can't finish tonight". He explains that the tap box is broken open - "I see it all the time in East St. Louis, where people are trying to steal cable - but never in a neighborhood like this". We walk over and look, and indeed the box is cracked, and the taps inside are bent and broken. We theorize that it might have been a riding lawnmower crashing into it, and I privately wondered about his kicking the box potentially being the cause.

Anyway - Derrick spends some time trying to call his supervisor, and then he tells me that his supervisor will be in a meeting until 5:30pm, but that once he gets through they'll send out a tech probably even that night to fix the tap. Derrick tells me to expect him back tomorrow morning to finish up inside. He promises to call as soon as he knows the details to confirm with me. He even takes down my cell phone number.

Derrick then asks about fixing the Dish hookup he had cut, and I tell him that as long as things are fixed by the time my parents get back in town (Sunday night) the Dish isn't needed. He assures me that this tap issue is no problem whatsoever and that things will be fixed in plenty of time. As he drives off, he tells me to expect a call from him soon. Yeah. Right.

The evening rolls past and I never get a call from Derrick, so I call Charter at 8:45pm to ask when to expect the completion of the installation in the morning. Cherie and I have plans to spend the day out - and the though of wasting our one free weekend waiting around for Charter is not appealing at all. After getting bounced around on hold for a while, I am eventually told that the "tech supervisor" would be calling me in the morning.


Saturday Morning: Cherie and I are unable to plan our day until we know what is up with Charter, so I call at 10AM, fight through voice menu hell, and eventually reach a human. When she tells me that she has no idea when someone will be coming to fix things, I raise a fuss and ask about getting someone to come and fix the cut Dish network lines. She puts me on hold to talk to her supervisor, only to come back five minutes later to tell me that I should call the satellite company for that and they can not help. I then start to pressure her for some sort of straight answer.

"When will things be fixed? I don't know. Who knows? My supervisor has contacted the tech supervisor and asked him to call you. Who is the tech supervisor? I don't know. When will the tech supervisor call me? I don't know. Who is your supervisor? Tricia. How long should I sit around waiting for a call? I don't know. When should I call back if I haven't heard from the tech supervisor? Try again in an hour..."

I wait over an hour, and call back. I get another minion, who then runs off to talk to his supervisor (the very same Tricia) - he comes back to tell me that he has spoken to Tricia, and that the Tech Supervisor will be calling me between 5:00 and 5:30pm. I give him my cell phone so that I can head out for the day. I ask him what I should do if no one calls - he tells me that I should call back, and that Tricia will be there until 9pm. Fine.

Steaming, we head out for the afternoon. And of course, my phone never rings.


Saturday Evening: I call back at 5:30pm, and once I explain the situation (for seemingly the tenth time today) I'm told that Tricia has LEFT for the day. She'll be there until 9pm?!!? Hmmmph.

I start to fume trying to get a straight answer from someone, and eventually I am talking to the "floor supervisor" Jess. He tells me that he can set up another installation appointment, and that the soonest he can arrange one will be on Friday. He says he has no way to have anyone come fix the satellite either, and he is completely unsympathetic or unapologetic for the mess. I insist on talking to someone who actually knows something, and at first the phone clicking sounds as if he has abruptly hung up on me.

And then a moment later I am talking to yet again someone new. As I explain the story from scratch again, for once it seems like the person on the other end of the line is actually listening, understands, and seems willing to do something. Michael O'Neill explains that I've at last reached the Charter corporate offices, and he agrees that the call center is completely useless. He tells me that he'll get in touch with dispatch directly, and that he might even be able to have someone out that night. He gives me his FULL name, and the phone number for the corporate office (314-965-0555). He tells me to skip over the call center and to call him with any problems, and he promises to get back to me personally ASAP.

Ah - ok, that seems like progress. That sure beats hearing "next Friday" - my parents couldn't even survive that long without TV!

Saturday Night: I finished up all the cable wiring in the basement myself (Cherie: "Why are you doing that - that's their job?") so that when/if a tech came all they would need to do would be to fix the outside tap, plug in the cable boxes, and splice a single line. The less time I need them here, the better. I am ready to be done with this mess.

When 8:30pm roles around and I have not heard back from Michael I start to worry, and I call back on the number he gave me. But I get a message that the Charter corporate offices closed at 7pm, and they are also closed on Sunday. *argh* That Michael didn't call back and didn't mention the office hours is AWFUL customer support!

The only thing left to do was to dive back into phone tree hell to try and reach a human at the call center ("No - I am NOT calling about ESPN college football!") When I reach a human and once again explain the story from scratch (how many times now?) - she goes to look up my file.

"Ah there is a note here - it is from the dispatcher of the installation company, saying that she will call you at 11:53AM tomorrow."

Uhm. 11:53?? Ok. Whatever.


I am SO not impressed with Charter right now. We'll see what tomorrow will bring. But right now I am willing to bet that the TV's will be out when my parents return home tomorrow night, and that will not be pretty....

*ugh* I am SO sick of crap customer service. All it takes is a little bit of proactive honest communications. Give me a straight answer - please!!! Call me back when you say you will. Don't promise things unless you can deliver. And treat me with a little respect. Is that really so hard?!??

I just sent this feedback to the political organization MoveOn.org:

I typically strongly support MoveOn's politics, policies and goals - but yet I keep teetering on the edge of removing myself from your lists.

You send me TOO MUCH EMAIL. (Several a day in the weeks before the election?!?! Please!)

I would love to hear from MoveOn once a month. Tops.
Even during election season. No matter what.

I would then happily read that entire email. I would respond with donations of money and time and letters to congress, and more.

But now I typically delete all of your emails without even opening them. I end up feeling battered hearing from you SO often.

PLEASE - I know there are others out there who feel the same way I do. Make an option for us to stay on your list but only get email once a month.

If we want more, let us opt in to it.

Otherwise - I am afraid that soon I will be opting all the way OUT.

Thank you...

- chris

MARKETEERS: Really, I love that you love your (product/cause). And I want you to share that passion with me. But just because email is cheap and easy, that doesn't mean I want to hear from you every day - or even every week. This means you, MoveOn. And also Apple, Amazon, American Express, and all the rest who keep battering my inbox.

I do WANT to get email from you. Offers, causes, calls to action, new product announcements - all of that. I welcome it. But you are welcome ONCE A MONTH. More than that and you start to piss me off. And I am likely to remove myself from your lists entirely - or put you on my Spam blacklists. And then you will never be able to get your URGENT / AWESOME message through to me. And is that the call to action you are really after?

I'm working my way through the past month's worth of postal mail today, and of course most of it is junk.

And I actually usually don't mind a little junk mail. Every so often I find something that intrigues me, and I understand and respect the desire for companies to use their mailing lists for promotional purposes.

But there is a BIG difference between use and abuse. And this month, American Express, Good Sam, and AOPA have all crossed WAY over the line.

AOPA: Credit card offer, life insurance offer, airplane insurance offer, and one or two membership renewal offers.
American Express: Too much crap to even count. Travel deals. Insurance deals. New personal card deals. Airline mileage deals. Balance transfer deals. And 3x business card deals.
Good Sam (Spam) Club: RV Insurance Offer. Life Insurance Offer. Credit Card offer. Offer for travel planning services. Offer to have my picture in their membership directory. And more!

Some of these offers are reminders of other offers I might have missed last month. And others are "ABSOLUTE LAST CHANCE" deals that I've probably had mailed to me six times now.

*gargh!!!!*

ATTENTION MARKETEERS: Whether you have an email list or a postal mailing list, guard it like it is gold. And ONLY ALLOW IT TO BE USED ONCE A MONTH! Tops! Maybe try doing a consolidated quarterly special offers mailing. Make your special offers SPECIAL. And don't BEAT YOUR CUSTOMERS UPSIDE THE HEAD WITH THE SAME DAMN OFFERS OVER AND OVER!

In other words, RESPECT YOUR CUSTOMERS. Treat them like you would like to be treated. Respect their time and their inbox. And DO NOT sell them out to the highest bidder time and time again.

Please?

I really wish there was a mail filtering service that could filter all my incoming mail (email and postal), skim off the cream of the crop, and consolidate (and even contrast and compare - imagine!) the incoming special offers... I actually think a hell of profitable company could be built around providing this service... If somebody wants the details, let me know and I'll sell you the plan. I'd do it myself, but being close to that much spam would kill me.