How not to Treat customers

[StarBound]

So ever since I got uncapped I've been listening to a few podcasts that partain to gaming. As time went by I found myself waiting for the next episode to hit. This past week I watched/listened and had a laugh at one of the battlecries made on the show. I had no idea what it was about but followed it up a bit.

What I can make out, a customer ordered a specialized game controller off a website. 2 Months later and prior to Christmas the package has not arrived. After an email or 2 of asking if it will make the pre-Christmas deadline the answer was "before or after xmas".

http://epicbattleaxe.com/an-ocean-of-fail/
http://penny-arcade.com/resources/just-wow1.html
http://epicbattleaxe.com/so-it-begins/

Remember one thing. Your talking to a human being and as a customer you are entitled to a no-bull acceptable answer weather you like it or not.

[rustypup]

1) it's not a "podcast", it's a media file... contrary to popular idiocy, managing to upload a media file to the internets does not make you any more intelligent or worth listening to. if it can be reliably achieved by a 5yr old with ADHD, it's not an achievement worth crowing about. giving it a special name is just idiocy squared...

2) this story is chock full of entitled prats bad-mouthing other entitled prats about an over-priced piece of kit designed to appeal to entitled prats who take themselves way too seriously...

tl;dr: this story says far more about whiny internet childishness than customer service...

[KALSTER]

Who put mayo on your burger Rusty?

[GreyWolf]

Who put mayo on your burger Rusty?

You do realise we have just come out of the worst part of the year as far as Rusty is concerned? The combination of intense religious fervor and massive marketing blitz drives him absolutely nuts!

[KALSTER]

That would explain it, yes.

[jee]

however, keep on with the entertainment... i have some suppliers that can only be thanking whatever deity they hold dear that i cannot lay my hands on them. grrrrrr

[StarBound]

Rusty, Santa is not bringing you that pony and unlike steam that coal your getting can't be turned into a voucher. Then again maybe you can sell it to Eskom at a premium

Well whatever it is I like listening and watching it. I never had to go into that kind of frenzy to get a response. But I have had issues where I was pissed at Take2 for not informing me about products not shipping/avalibility. They have however made up quite a bit over the years and last year I got a full refund along side a standard/hardened edition of a game. So kodos to them.

Now if only they can get the courier to perform.

[rustypup]

I never had to go into that kind of frenzy to get a response.

my point is it barely even rates as a "frenzy". the supplier may have been in the wrong but the level of childish whine adopted by the customer, along with his over-inflated sense of importance, makes my fists itch.

that this petty tantrum received the degree of attention it did even more so...

[StarBound]

I disagree. Everything prior to the 10am 26th e-mail looked fine. But everything after that went wrong. Your not allowed to cancel an order and reorder because it gives you a better deal? Then give that 10% discount to those still waiting or do something.

It has been blown into something big and could have been left as is. We might not even see half of the email though but it seems that it was the OM side that started that childish side buy threatening to sell the controllers on ebay instead.

If your giving discount to future purchases of the product no one has already then give discount to those that already bought it. Or give a refund and allow for reorder with the loss of the spot that gets the item.