I received this beauty of an email this morning from Dell:
Dear Customer,
We’re sorry but your order will take longer to fulfill than previously communicated and is now scheduled to be delivered on or before XX/YY/ZZZZBecause we did not meet the date previously communicated to you, we need your permission today to continue your order with this new date. If we do not receive your permission, the Federal Trade Commission requires that we cancel your order.
This is actually the second time they’ve delayed my order. Great. But what annoys me most is the tone of their message.
“Dear Customer?!” They know my damn name! It’s on the credit card which has purchased thousands of dollars worth of computer systems from them. It’s also tied to my Dell account. It’s called mail-merge, geniuses!
And what’s with this “The FTC is forcing us to blah blah blah.”
Did these guys fail being human 101? Honestly, this goes beyond customer support. Who likes to hear a friend or acquaintance go on and on about how the world is against them and forcing them into whatever decision or situation.
Jeeze! Own up to the problem, tell me the what’s and why’s, apologise for not being able to get whatever widget in, and if you really feel like knocking my socks off, offer to give me upgraded shipping/$10 worth of free music/a free USB mouse/a cool Dell sticker… anything. Don’t blame the big bad FTC.
In summary… I need more friggin coffee before receiving emails like this!
End rant.
Mmmm…. coffee…..
As someone who used to manage an online customer service team, I agree with you 1000%. Our email program was set up to do mail merge with customer names for good reason. The rest of the reply leaves alot to be desired, too. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Lees! I think companies really miss the idea of “being cool” to their customers. It’s a lost opportunity to turn an unpleasant situation into something positive.
I had another thought. Since Dell is a ‘build to order’ type of service, why not interact with me at every step of the way? I’d love to see a daily progress report of MY dell’s birth. Maybe a picture of the dude who installed the memory module giving a thumbs up. Take the Build-a-bear approach and all of a sudden the business of building computers takes a turn into the land of boutique.
Ahh, when I’m king of the world…
Got the same impersonal email around 3 o’clock this morning. I understand static customer service letters, but this is cold. You are 100% right that something should be offered to compensate!