How long would you think it takes to get a ten dollar item from an online site shipped ? Three days maybe. Possibly a week ? Try two weeks. On September 29 I ordered a cool reader/sunglasses combination from Target.com for $9.99 plus shipping and handling which came to around sixteen dollars.
After a phone call and several emails back and forth over the next two weeks as to the status it was finally sent out on October 13. Why the delay ? Well, it seems that the order was "stuck in the system." I was told twice that it could be neither cancelled or sent out.
Here is what one response said, which by the way is from Target.com Guest Services:
I'm really sorry for the delay in shipping your order.
I know this must be frustrating for you, but your order is stuck in our system. Right now I can't get at the order either to ship it or cancel it. Our technical team is working hard to take care of this, and we'll let you know just as soon as we have an update.
We'll e-mail you again in 3 business days to let you know. If we aren't, we'll also let you know how we can help you out. If you haven't heard from us within the next 3 business days, please let us know using the link below so we can look into it.
Of course they wanted a pat on the back right away, so this was also included.
We'll be in touch with you again soon.
How Did We Do?
Please let us know if this e-mail resolved your question:
If yes, click here: Followed by a link.
If not, click here: Followed by a link.
A few days later I sent another email and here was their canned response.
I'm sorry for the delay with your HD reader from the order#602-1487712-4480242.
It's disappointing to know that there's been a system error and our technical team is working to get your order out to you as soon as possible. When we do ship it, we'll send you another e-mail letting you know.
I know you count on more than just great products from Target.com, and that getting your order to you on time is just as important. I hope you'll visit Target.com again soon.
Thanks for getting in touch with us.
How Did We Do?
Please let us know if this e-mail resolved your question:
Sound familiar. Still no order shipment. I received a couple more responses very similar until the order was shipped. I was then sent a link to a survey for feedback on my experience.
They got my feedback allright, all at the bottom of the rating scale.In none of these emails was there any thinking of being helpful for the long delay like waiving the shipping charge or giving me a free gift card.
For those of you who may not know, Target.com is actually run by Amazon. Yes the huge online Jeff Bezos company. Target does plan to have their own website running next year. I found out that Target.com does have their share of complaints. Below is a link to some of them.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/retail/target_online.html
How much better would service be if companies treated customers better ?
In the study by Harris Interactive, which surveyed 2,217 U.S. adults online between June 30 and July 2, 82% of respondents said they stopped doing business with a company because of a bad experience. Of those, 75% said they never returned. That was 75%.
The study also shared that 79% of consumers who have had a negative customer service experience said they told other people about it. In addition, 66% of those said they wanted to discourage others from doing business with that company.
Another 55% said they did business with specific companies solely because of their reputation for "great" customer service, and 40% switched to a competitive brand because of a reputation for "exceptional" service. According to the report, companies can improve the customer experience by providing friendly, knowledgeable support and by resolving issues in a timely manner.
The timely manner hit rock bottom in this case.
After a phone call and several emails back and forth over the next two weeks as to the status it was finally sent out on October 13. Why the delay ? Well, it seems that the order was "stuck in the system." I was told twice that it could be neither cancelled or sent out.
Here is what one response said, which by the way is from Target.com Guest Services:
I'm really sorry for the delay in shipping your order.
I know this must be frustrating for you, but your order is stuck in our system. Right now I can't get at the order either to ship it or cancel it. Our technical team is working hard to take care of this, and we'll let you know just as soon as we have an update.
We'll e-mail you again in 3 business days to let you know. If we aren't, we'll also let you know how we can help you out. If you haven't heard from us within the next 3 business days, please let us know using the link below so we can look into it.
Of course they wanted a pat on the back right away, so this was also included.
We'll be in touch with you again soon.
How Did We Do?
Please let us know if this e-mail resolved your question:
If yes, click here: Followed by a link.
If not, click here: Followed by a link.
A few days later I sent another email and here was their canned response.
I'm sorry for the delay with your HD reader from the order#602-1487712-4480242.
It's disappointing to know that there's been a system error and our technical team is working to get your order out to you as soon as possible. When we do ship it, we'll send you another e-mail letting you know.
I know you count on more than just great products from Target.com, and that getting your order to you on time is just as important. I hope you'll visit Target.com again soon.
Thanks for getting in touch with us.
How Did We Do?
Please let us know if this e-mail resolved your question:
Sound familiar. Still no order shipment. I received a couple more responses very similar until the order was shipped. I was then sent a link to a survey for feedback on my experience.
They got my feedback allright, all at the bottom of the rating scale.In none of these emails was there any thinking of being helpful for the long delay like waiving the shipping charge or giving me a free gift card.
For those of you who may not know, Target.com is actually run by Amazon. Yes the huge online Jeff Bezos company. Target does plan to have their own website running next year. I found out that Target.com does have their share of complaints. Below is a link to some of them.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/retail/target_online.html
How much better would service be if companies treated customers better ?
In the study by Harris Interactive, which surveyed 2,217 U.S. adults online between June 30 and July 2, 82% of respondents said they stopped doing business with a company because of a bad experience. Of those, 75% said they never returned. That was 75%.
The study also shared that 79% of consumers who have had a negative customer service experience said they told other people about it. In addition, 66% of those said they wanted to discourage others from doing business with that company.
Another 55% said they did business with specific companies solely because of their reputation for "great" customer service, and 40% switched to a competitive brand because of a reputation for "exceptional" service. According to the report, companies can improve the customer experience by providing friendly, knowledgeable support and by resolving issues in a timely manner.
The timely manner hit rock bottom in this case.
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