Do Large Organisations Cut Themselves Off From the Internet?
I sometimes criticise (and praise) companies and organisations on this blog. Here are a few examples.
- Dixons
- First Great Western
- John Lewis
- Leon Restaurants
- Runners Need
- Towneley Park and Hall
- Virgin Trains
Most of those comments are positive, as I don’t want to get a reputation for not being fair. However, the really interesting one is about John Lewis, where I didn’t hold back in criticising their performance. If you read the comments on the post, you’ll see that Customer Support at John Lewis found it and asked me to e-mail them. The problem I had been having was resolved.
So if say you are the manager of the Islington Upper Street branch of the Midland Bank, other than being immortal, do you check what is being said about your branch on the Internet? And if you do, do you check blogs and forums?
I have a feeling that John Lewis might be an exception here. But surely, any business interested in what its customers think about it should be searching what is on the Internet, even if some of it is perhaps abusive or badly-written. To take my bank example, it is very easy to set up a Google Alert for Midland Bank, Upper Street, Islington.
I have a feeling that companies often spend fortunes on market research finding out what customers and others think of them. But do they need to, when with a bit of training and perhaps some affordable software, of the sort I can write, it’s all out there waiting to be delivered?
How To Annoy Customers
I’m going with a friend to see Ipswich at Bristol on Saturday.
The aim is to go down on the 10:00 from London in Standard and return on the 18:00 in First.
I have a Senior Railcard and my friend has an Annual Gold Card Railcard.
When trying to book on-line, I couldn’t seem to get a discount for the Gold Card. Shown is a chat I had on-line with one of First Great Western’s customer service agents (FGW).
FGW: Hi, my name is FGW. How may I help you?
Anonymous Widower: I am travelling to Bristol from London on Saturday and have been trying to purchase tickets. I have a Senior Railcard and my travelling companion has an Annual Gold Card. Is it right that they get charged more than me, and the discount doesn’t apply. We aim to travel down standard on the 10:00 and return on the 18:00 in First.
FGW: Please give me your journey details including the journey dates and the train times selected.
Anonymous Widower: I already have.
FGW: Are the times mentioned the exact train times ?
Anonymous Widower: Yes
Anonymous Widower: I haven’t booked yet, but I know seats are available.
FGW: Is it Bristol Parkway ?
Anonymous Widower: No Temple Meads
FGW: I have checked for the journey and would like to confirm that the discount for the annual gold card discount will be available only if you book the tickets at the station.
FGW: Online the discount will only be available for the Senior Railcard.
Anonymous Widower: Why can’t I get it on-line? My companion does not live near me and won’t be in London until Friday. I know that if you buy on the web you get a better fare. I have also had a stroke and feel that buying tickets on-line is easier for me.
FGW: There are some policies that are set by the company. I am advising you as per them.
FGW: You need to book tickets on the station for the Annual Gold Card discount.
Anonymous Widower: Thanks for your help.
It should be simple and easy to buy tickets without too many petty rules.
In the end I bought the other ticket without the discount.
The Non-Arrival of a Refund from East Coast
On the 3rd of February, I travelled down from York on the 19:35 East Coast train from York. The train was about ninety minutes late into King’s Cross and forms were given out to claim a refund. I filled the form in the next day and posted it to Newcastle in the envelope provided.
I have not heard anything since.
It could be a malfunction of the postal service, but since I have moved, I regularly send letters to my old house in Suffolk and know that they arrive the next day, when I put them in the box opposite my house here.
On Sunday, I tried to report this non-arrival of the refund through the East Coast web site. I got a server error, asking me to submit it again. I didn’t as it was quite a long form and after all, it’s not that much money in the greater scheme of things.
But I tried again to submit the e-mail and still got a server error.
I also tried to send a simple e-mail saying that I was getting server errors and got another server error.
It really isn’t good enough!
So I put a letter in the post.
The Anonymous Widower 