Hall of Fame

*** Starring: newegg.com, nothingbutsoftware.com, softwareoutlet.com ***

Outstanding Customer Service
I am amused by people who can recommend a service with the attitude "I used them and didn't have a problem." It is sad to think that in today's market, one or even a few customers not having a problem seems to be all that is required to have a good business. It explains why so many people are still using lousy, third-party payment services, despite numerous horror stories. It explains the kind of feedback response one sees on ebay when a seller gets their first neg: "I've sold a hundred things and you're my first problem, so you must be a screwball."

Yes, with a 1% complaint rate, it is quite possible that the customer is a screwball, but the real problem is the seller's response. In every business, there will eventually be a problem. No matter how careful the seller is, at some point there will be a mistake made or a misunderstanding between buyer and seller. These occasions become the true test of a good business.

In my opinion, the measure of a business consists of:

1. What percentage of the transactions are completed without problems?
2. When there is a problem, how quickly, courteously and easily was it handled?
3. When there is a problem, how severe is it?

1. No matter how nicely the seller treats you, if there are too many problems, you won't be back.
2. No matter how rarely there is a problem, if the seller is rude, slow to correct it, or makes you jump through hoops to get it resolved, you won't be back.
3. No matter how rarely there is a problem, how nicely the seller treats you and how easily it eventually was resolved, if it was an incredible bungle or can have serious consequences, you should think hard before entering into the transaction.

Cases in point:

Newegg.com sells many computer-related items, MP3 players and the like. Their prices are very good. They are one of the first places I go to when I need something. I also subscribe to their newsletter to get email notification of their sales. Occasionally I have purchased something which wasn't to my liking. They were very good at taking it back and giving me full credit.

Recently I bought two items simply because the deals were so good after the rebate. I bought an Astar DVD player for $38 (including shipping) with a $20 rebate. Where can you get a DVD player for $18? I also bought a Diablotek 1 gig MP3 player for $38 (including shipping) with a $25 rebate. An Mp3 player for $13 is a bargain.

The problem was that Diablotek is refusing to honor the rebate. They don't prove a phone number to call, just an email ID, and the emails I sent were ignored. As for Astar, they finally sent me the rebate over 4 months and several reminders later, then the check bounced. That's right. Instead of receiving $20, I was charged $10 by my bank for the bounced check. Calls to the company led to an answering machine and no one called me back.

I called Newegg to ask them why they did business with vendors who were cheating their customers. After getting the particulars, a credit of $55 ($25 for the diablotek and $30 for astar) were immediately applied to my credit card. Now that's customer service!

Softwareoutlet.com and Nothingbutsoftware.com offer software at discount prices. Sometimes the software is a version which has just been replaced with a newer one. Sometimes there is a rebate which covers all or most of the cost of the software. I have found some good bargains at both places. But what really makes them shine is their customer service.

Softwareoutlet.com sold me an IBM Worldbook Encyclopedia for $40 which carried a $40 rebate. Months later, IBM sent me a card stating the rebate was not valid - no reason given. I contacted Softwareoutlet and they sent me a $75 credit toward any future purchases and free shipping. I would have been happy with the promised $40 but they actually doubled its value to make up for the inconvenience.

Nothingbutsoftware.com sold me a Jamcam digital camera suitable for a child. It came with a $30 rebate. About a month after I purchased the camera, Jamcam went bankrupt. Of course, I never received the rebate. I emailed Nothingbutsofware to notify them and they sent me a $30 credit toward any future purchase. Since it was not their fault that Jamcam had gone belly-up, this was beyond the call of duty.

It's good to know that there are still some places on the Internet (besides my site, of course) where honesty and customer service can still be found.