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Cyber Bullying isn't always what you think
So it has happened once again; one of our manufacturers has made a design change, and certainly not for the better. The result? Appliance service companies (Like Michael's) are inundated with unhappy customers, to say the least. Making matters worse, the 'fix' issued by the manufacturer doesn't work. Now, the manufacturer doesn't send out a memo that says 'hey, we make part xyz in Timbuktoo now because it's cheaper'... they just make the change and run to the bank. Retailers keep on selling the appliance, oblivious of the fact that there are/will be issues. So now when the end user has a problem (not if, when) they call the retailer. It usually goes like this:Retailer: Good afternoon, this is the service department
Customer(irate): You people sold me this xyz appliance and it's crap! I want a new one!
Retailer: I understand your frustration, but we need you to call company xyz and tell them this. Its the only way they will consider replacing your product.
Customer(more irate): I BROUGHT IT FROM YOU! I WILL TELL THE WHOLE WORLD HOW MUCH YOU PEOPLE $%&!*!!!
And of course they will do this on every social site and review site they can find, and they will do so without first calming down and thinking the situation through.
Which is nothing more than Cyber bullying.
The customer is threatening to ruin the retailers reputation simply because they need them to get involved with the manufacturer who made this item to get it replaced. Appliances aren't tiny; shipping them back and forth is expensive, and NO manufacturer will do so blindly. So is the customer angry with the manufacturer? No. They are angry with the retailer, because that is where they purchased the item. Yet all the retailer has asked is for the customer to get involved, to take the responsibility to the proper people. Now, there are plenty of retailers that simply walk away from the customer once they have sold them the item, and those retailers should carry some of the responsibility as well...
So should the customer. Retailers that DO offer support and are trying to help the customer should be supported, not threatened. Yet not one week goes by without at least one call like this, and even when the retailer DOES get the customer taken care of, the closing conversation is usually like this:
Retailer: Well, we've got your new unit. We will swap tomorrow for you
Customer: Great. I'm never buying from company xyz again, and I will be hard pressed to tell my friends to use (insert retailer's name here) in the future.
Why? Because the retailer helped them? Because the retailer answered the phone, didn't leave the customer on hold, sent service to their house, spent the time on the phone to get the replacement shipped and handled the swap?
This isn't a flag-waving defense of retailers. As a member of a retail company, I know we don't always get it right. Some retailers are truly devious and should be punished. But there are plenty who are reputable, respectable and really do care.
And they shouldn't be bullied.
Expectations
Our mission statement at Michael's Appliance has always been to exceed our customer’s expectations, and meeting that goal has been increasingly difficult. I don’t believe this is caused by a lack of trying on our part; the quality of the products that are being sold in today’s world has declined to the point where it is difficult to live up to those expectations let alone exceed them. Electronics and software issues are at the top of the “problem” list. I am sure most people have been frustrated with their computer when it just seems to have a mind of its own and will not respond no matter what we do. It's not your mother’s washer or refrigerator any more; electronic controls are widely used in the appliance industry today. Quite often when the service technician calls the manufacturer tech line to diagnose a problem the 'technical support' person has no more than a guess as to the cause of the problem. If the manufacturer of the product cannot educate us properly on the service issues we are experiencing because they are not sure why the computers in the appliances are not doing what they are designed to do, how can we possibly do what we did years ago which was “fix it right the first time”? We want nothing more than to sell a great product at a fair price and then be there to repair it in a timely manner should it need service; this is incredibly difficult in today's market.
Fortunately there are some expectations we continue to exceed today. If you purchase a product from Michael’s and have a problem, we will do everything we can to stand by you and do our best to resolve the issue. We will not leave you hanging! While we cannot guarantee and replace the product (That is the responsibility of the aforementioned manufacturers, not Michael’s) we will do everything we can to help the customer get satisfaction from the manufacturer should an issue arise that we cannot resolve. We will continue to educate our customers (Even providing literature and documentation) on any and all of their appliances, and provide parts supply and technical support for the DIY'er.
We would love to hear your comments. Do you see it differently?
Gary
Extreme weather and appliances
It has happened yet again; severe weather hits our area, and in the aftermath we are bombarded with calls of out-of-service or damaged appliances.Some times the problem is damaged electronics from power surges or brownouts; other times flooding is to blame. When we get to work on the majority of these appliances, we find that the damage could have been prevented in most cases with just a little bit of precaution. It is ALWAYS a good idea to unplug electronic devices such as TV's and computers; this is also true of most appliances, including your refrigerator. Most of today's appliances have roughly the same computing power as a PC from the mid 80's; some are now WI-FI enabled, allowing service companies to do diagnostics and maintenance from afar. Yet consumers don't unplug them....refrigerators that are less than 10 years old will maintain temperature for quite a few hours without running. We've seen some go 12-14 hours with no temperature change if the doors are kept closed, so unplugging it before the severe weather hits can save a costly repair and prevent food from going in the trash when the unit is completely dead. Appliances kept in the basement or below grade are also more prone to flood damage; it is VERY HAZARDOUS to leave ANY appliance in these areas plugged in when flooding is a possibility. The potential for electrocution or fire is immense! Appliances in these areas should be unplugged AND LEFT UNPLUGGED until all of the water is gone AND the unit(s) have COMPLETELY dried out. Energizing any appliance that has been underwater and has not dried out is very dangerous and a prime candidate for additional damage from short circuits. Again, we've seen units completely submerged (Even a washer/dryer set that was recovered 2 miles downstream from the home!) that ran perfectly fine once dried out and cleaned....
Moral of the story? If sever weather is imminent, unplug your appliances or switch off the breaker, and leave them alone. When the power comes back on, make sure the unit is turned off, plug it back in and turn it back on. If the unit got wet for ANY reason (Flooding, burst pipe, etc) MAKE SURE IT IS COMPLETELY DRY BEFORE RESTORING POWER. The life (and appliance) you save may very well be your own.
The new Website is up; how'd we do?
Greetings!If you're reading this, then you have seen the new Michael's Appliance Website. Lots of new features have been added; Facebook, blogging, order status checking, a guestbook.... to name a few. While we were at it we even set up a mobile site; Now finding us or checking order status 'on the go' is just a click away on your smart phone. We've changed the layout as well, So now the site should display better on any browser you happen to be using. We've tried to make the site as user-friendly as possible, with top and side link navigation and user log in forms on every page.
So, how did we do? Take our little poll and let us know what you think!
What do you think of the new website?
