 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
APT Special Offer Downloads Coming Tomorrow |
| The Pre-Order Special for the Adavanced Photography Techniques DVD is now officially over.
Most pre-order customers who ordered the APT DVD have had their DVD's shipped out today. If you live in the US, your should have them by Thursday the 4th or sooner. I will be emailing out the downloads for the Sky Cam PDF first thing tomorrow. If you do not have the download by tomorrow evening, be sure to check your spam folders, and if still not, let me know and I will get it squared away. Thank you for all your support! Please let me know how you like the APT DVD. |
| 9 comments: |      |
|
|
|
|
Customers Don't Care About "Why"...and they shouldnt have to |
| Yet another little business lesson. Hope you guys aren't getting sick of these.
When I was in my nightmare apartment way back when, yes, the one with the broken air conditioner, I had the following conversation with the AC repairman: Me "Were you able to find out why its so hot in here?" AC Dude "Well, I can tell you the the AC is working fine." Me "I understand that, what can we do to get the temperature below 92?" AC Dude "Sir, your air conditioning unit is functioning properly and is at full capacity...its working." Me "Again, I understand that the AC unit is working as you said. Why is it so freaking hot in here?" AC Dude "Im not sure, all I can tell you is everything is working fine" Me "So why is it, if I go next door, their apartment is a cool 76?" AC Dude -Shrugs Shoulders "Im not sure" Me "So if I understand you correctly, if my AC unit is working at capacity, its normal for it to be 92 degrees INSIDE my apartment?" AC Dude, now getting angry "I told you the AC is working!!" Me "You need to leave." I walked to the front door opened it and pointed him out (Yes this really happened). Yesterday, as I was upgrading my store, there was an error and some of the DVDs were missing. I called my new programming team leader, who when we signed told me I would have 24 hr emergency support- Team Leader "Please fill out a ticket request and we can look at it tomorrow" Me "?!@%&^@(*# - Are your freaking kidding me?" Team Leader "We transferred the site exactly as we found it on the server" Me "All my products were there this morning and they aren't now" Team Leader "We did exactly as you requested, to update your store, if your products aren't there now, its because they weren't on the server" Me "They were on the server this morning" Team Leader "Its probably your hosting companies fault, you should call them" I was livid (BTW- on this one, the programmer found the mistake and corrected it. The Team Leader and I have made amends and everything is cool) But I share this as an illustration. So today...I get to be on the other side of the fence: A customer calls and asks for a refund for a DVD I know we shipped to her. Long story short, she had ordered a DVD, and then wanted to change her order, so she purchased another DVD, but it was after we had sent the other, yet before she received it. Physically impossible to do once it is sent, and the reason it was sent early was because it was a pre-order. So at this point we had sent her 2 different DVDs. Per policy, I usually give refunds on unopened (or in the rare case damaged) DVDs as long as they are first returned, and depending on the situation, they may have to cover return shipping. I told this customer the policy, but she was upset because my call center told her she would be able to replace the DVD, which was true, but now that we had sent her 2, there was a possibility she wouldn't return the 2nd DVD. All I was asking her was to return the second and I would refund her- she was not happy. In the middle of the discussion, it occurred to me, that I was now standing on the other side of the fence. I could explain to her all the little reasons why we were in this situation, I could explain to her that it was somehow her own fault, or why we shipped the pre-orders early, or how the post office picks up orders for processing or why we could retrieve the order once sent but the thought occurred to me: "Customers don't care about "why" - They want results. She showed good faith in me- show some trust in her. I have always believed that despite all the scams that cross my path, I owe a tremendous amount to so many people out there that take the faith to send me, a complete stranger, money to send them a DVD. That is a sacred trust and if you are in business with anyone, you have to keep it. If you ever screw up, through misunderstanding, or carelessness or even pure accident, I've learned that most people will forgive you quickly if you just admit it and try to make it right. Nothing turns a customer off faster than someone who tries to shift the blame or make excuses for a job poorly done. It is much easier and efficient to keep a current customer happy than to try to find a new one. Customers don't care about "why" and you should never expect them to. |
| 4 comments: | |
|
|
|
|
Yet Another Car Rental Scam - Budget's "EZ Fuel" |
| Once again- I dont believe in being overly negative, but its my job as a Maven to tell you about this:
Beware Budget Rent-A-Car! In my continuing hate-hate relationship with rental car companies, I discovered this new one from Budget in Nashville, not sure if all of them are doing it, but because this slip look mass produced, you can bet they are...especially when you crunch the numbers. Before I get to the new scam, lets revisit an old one: "Buy a tank of gas in advance, so you dont have to refill when you return"- Well that scam, which is run by nearly all rent a car companies simply means that you buy a full tank at near regular price and return the car tank "empty". Fact is, no one ever returns a car to the rent a car company with an empty tank, so anything extra, even a few gallons, means the car company got you to pay for a few gallons of gas that you didnt use. If you return a car with a quarter or half tank, you are literally giving them $10-30 depending on the size of the tank, and what they say the capacity is. (Typically there are an additional 2-3 gallons left even when its on empty). So I encourage you to never take advantage of "buy a tank of gas in advance". Just fill it up before you drop it off. I know in the past, its quite common for me to only drive 40-50 miles and not need to fill it up, because the gas gauge is on "full". This is where the new scam comes in: Budget's "EZ FUEL" (I love how they even have the "TM" logo by it as if they are thinking about trademarking this until someone decides to file a class action law suit). The way it works is, if you drive less than 75 miles (I wonder if they did any research on this, determining what the typical distance someone drives with a rental car), you automatically will be charged an additional $14, even if you DONT sign up for the "buy a tank in advance" offer. In fact, if you drive less than 75 miles, the only way you can avoid this charge is to show them a receipt for adding gas to the tank. What this means is, all those folks who would rent a car for a few business meetings and then head back to the airport, looking at their gas gauge and thinking the tank is "full", will in fact have to take it to a gas station and top it off just so they wont be charged the $14. Even if they only traveled 10 or 15 miles on their trip (or 30 like I did in Nashville). The beautiful thing about this is they wont tell you about this new policy, they just put this sticker on your envelope and hand it to you. If you try to contest it, as I did, they will state it's their new policy and unless you can produce a receipt they are going to charge you anyway. Nice job Budget! At this point your flight is leaving in an hour, so off you go to the airport with your luggage, shrugging your shoulders and saying to yourself "its only $14". Not me- it ticked me off. I see this as someone reaching into my wallet and taking money. Multiply this by all the people who do probably do this everyday, and Budget is probably making MILLIONS on this. WOW..... Im so sick of the games. This is why I don't believe in nickel-and-dime-ing photography customers and hate to hear nightmare stories of people getting "squeezed". Its a crappy feeling to know when a company has taken advantage of you and it destroys long term trust for short term gain. Its just not worth it. Don't use Budget Rental Car if you can help it. |
| 6 comments: | |
|
|
|
|
Dealing with Poor Customer Service at Fast Food Restaurants |
| It doesn't happen very often, but it did tonight, so I thought I would share:
Have you ever gone into a fast food restaurant, maybe even the drive through, place an order and then end up waiting 20 minutes? Long story short, I think it is absolutely wrong to support or reward businesses who give poor customer service. If you make your order in a drive through and its 10 minutes before you can even pay, its just a sign of things to come (poor customer service). Unless you are really, really hungry- I would say leave at this point and never return to that place. (It also messes up the sequence of their orders). There is something called the "commitment principle" which is once we agree to something, either verbal, written, or financially- we are much more likely to concede additional losses as the agreement moves forward, simply because we have already committed. I believe that many fast food restaurants know this, especially after you pay money . You think, "hey Ive been waiting for 20 minutes now and I still dont have my food, what's taking so long? I should leave, but DANG Ive already paid, so Ill just wait." and so you wait, and wait and wait, they FINALLY give you your food and everything is "fine" because they just took advantage of you and said "thanks" as they handed you your food a half hour later. This will continue and they will never think they are doing anything wrong. If you do come back, what this means is that you have just given them permission to do this to you over and over and over and over. At this point its your fault. If there are extremely long lines, dont go there - we have better things to do with our time than stand in line. If I am ever waiting more than 12 minutes at a "fast food" restaurant.....I LEAVE.. Even if I have paid or not- I just get out of there. Obviously different at a sit down restaurant, but a fast food place? Its not worth the frustration, anger, time value, and then worth rewarding poor customer service. Hardly anyone ever leaves, but when a customer walks out on them, especially after they have paid- this causes a sense of panic among the staff- they will come running outside after you (its happened to me many times). They know you are waiting and they see you...sitting there...patiently.....and as long as you are, they can take as long as they want- and they know it. If you walk and they don't come running after you, then your business isn't important them anyway. If you have paid a lot of money ask for the manager and a refund- do not deviate from the refund-(the "take away principle"- rarely exercised by customers, but extremely powerful) Have your mind set to take your money and never return. Chances are, not only will you get your money back, you will usually get all that food you ordered too, because otherwise they will throw it away. Don't let the manager talk you into a "few apple pies" to make up for it, and dont ask for the food either, just say "I want a refund, you have wasted my time- please dont make me ask again". Dont reward businesses who give poor customer service, it just keeps them alive longer to prolong the inevitable. (Go out of business). |
| 6 comments: | |
|
|
|
|
Maxtor & Seagate Hard Drive Review |
| Finally some sweet, sweet revenge.
Dont ever buy an external hard drive from Maxtor or Seagate, which makes Maxtor. I went out 2 months ago to get a quality, sturdy hard drive to back up some of the video projects I have. I spent $230 on a one TB external firewire Maxtor One touch. Ive used it 3 times. Today it stopped working completely. The kicker was, when I called their customer support line, I was funneled through a series of options and was delivered to "We are sorry, due to complications, we are unable to take your call at this time. We have some information on our site that should help...yada yada- Good bye." Im not even going to deal with trying to save this thing, luckily I keep 2 copies of archived files. Not only is this thing junk, their customer service is worse. Its a waste of money. |
| 11 comments: | |
|
|
|
|
Michael The Maven Newsletter |
| This is a new feature we are installing on the Blog, Newsletters! First of all, let me say how much I hate newsletters: I hate newsletters. However, a high number of my customers (about half) have signed up to receive newsletters, re: new product information, coupon codes, etc. So, what I plan on doing is having a newsletter just a few times (like maybe 3 or 4) a year, when I have a few new products out.
The newsletters will include the following information: - New Product Announcements and Releases Dates - Pre-Ordering Specials - COUPON CODES for the store - Photography Contest Information - Insider information that will not other wise be posted on the blog. So, I guess what I am saying, if you have found any of my products to be helpful, it may be worth signing up. PS- The first Newsletter will be sent out within the next 2 weeks. Best wishes! Michael Sign Up For Michaels Newsletter! :) |
| 2 comments: | |
|
|
|
|
Best Nationwide Hotel Value |
| So as you know I have been doing a lot of traveling lately and have been trying out every single different hotel I could find along the way. I have always been interested in how they are different as well as how national chains maintain consistency from hotel to hotel.
(BTW- You should have seen the DUMP I crashed in two nights ago....it was very, very old, yet oddly very clean and extremely well maintained....still kinda scary- I would have taken some pictures if I wasnt so darn tired. Just goes to show you will crash just about anywhere if you are tired enough). One hotel I was a little disappointed with was the Holiday Inn Express in Dallas. For all the clever commercials they have, it wasnt much different than a stay at a Hampton Inn or Comfort Inn, yet the charge almost twice the amount. I am interested, what is the best nationwide hotel value, meaning for what you pay, what is the best experience in your opinion? I really liked Hampton Inn, they seemed to be the most consistent to me. You can add entries if you like, just please make sure its a nation wide hotel. |
| 5 comments: | |
|
|
|
|
Thrifty Car Rental on Maui |
| Its been a crazy busy day, but I know I needed to come in here and make a post. This one is about customer service and as many of you know I have a love/hate relationship with rental car companies. I cannot stand all their little games, extra insurance, pre-paid gas, etc, etc. I ran into a new scam with my car rental on Maui and just wanted to throw this out there for anyone planning on using them anytime soon. I dont have a problem paying for anything when it is what they say it is. I do have a problem when someone tries to trick me or someone else, even if its not that much money. I HIGHLY doubt this is company policy and it is an isolated incident, but be aware of these games.
When we arrived on the 14th, we had originally booked the car for a full week and when I picked it up, I asked the lady at the counter if I could extend it 3 more days as I was staying longer and she said that would be fine and I would be charged the daily rate of $18/day, (for a Dodge Magnum which I must say was cooler than I was anticipating). Long story short, I return the car, full tank of gas 2 hours before it was due, and the receipt said there was a $43 late return fee. This confused me, so I went to the counter to ask them about it. The first words out of their mouths were "There is nothing we can do about late returns we are sorry." Me: "Maybe there is some kind of mistake, I just returned it 2 hours early" The two girls at the counter started to check their computer, one of them says: "you picked it up at 10am" Me: "Uh...no...I picked it up after 7pm, look at the receipt. Our flight didnt get in until 7 anyway." They go back to their computers and then reluctantly spill it..which I thought was VERY SNEAKY: "Your original reservation was for a week, because you decided to extend the rental 3 extra days, this pushed your reservation over the return date by three days, which we charge an additional $12 per day." This was the scam. Thrifty on Maui actually had the nerve to PRE-BILL a late return fee and then say the rental was only $18 per day, when it was really $30. The kicker is they also have a fee for returning the car early, so either way you are screwed. Me: "Is this legal?" Them: "We do it all the time." And she had this very smug look on her face. Me: "Just because you do it all the time, doesnt make it legal." Them: "Everyone here does it." Me: "This is the first time any car rental company has pulled a stunt like this...." (raising my voice) Them: "We will refund it this time only as a courtesy for you." .....uh huh Another part of the scam, most visitors are in too much of a hurry to look at their receipt and see they have been burned. If they do see it, it may not be until after they are back on the mainland. Something similar also happened at the Outback in Kihei, we were over charged about $200 on a meal for the clan, and the computer even added up the items incorrectly. Not to mention it had the wrong sales tax, almost 1% higher. It was bizarre. It is possible that some of these companies are intentionally over billing EVERYONE, most people dont check their receipts and add everything up, and IF they catch the company....what happens? They refund the money, and the other 95% are still burned. Keep an Eye out for it...check your receipts when you travel. |
| 5 comments: | |
|
|
|
|
Apple Redeems themselves!! |
| For those of you who have been following the on-going saga of my Apple Mac Book Pro, you should know that last weekend, the disk drive failed, and I had to send it in to be replaced. This was the third major failure that Ive had with this laptop that required me to send it in or otherwise wipe the drive and re-load all the software.
I know most Mac users are happy with their Macs- I am KEENLY aware of this, it just happens that mine had been very sucky on a level that defies any and all description. Even up to the disk drive failure, it was crashing 2-3 times a day and the wireless card went kaput. I got a call from "The Customer Escalations" department that my Mac would be replaced with a brand spankin new Mac Book Pro, with a bigger hard drive, faster processor, and Leopard- at no cost to me. YAY! (I wonder if the rep read my blog entries about this? lol) Finally I hope that I can fall in love with a Mac like most everyone I know who owns one has. :) |
| 6 comments: | |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
© 2010 Michael Andrew Photography, All rights reserved. Blog by infinet design |
