mwoolfso
New member
- Jul 18, 2011
- 2,592
- 0
I am going to say my peace here and hopefully advocate for some change; maybe at least acknowledgement. AGO customer service lost a huge opportunity in this "closed" thread (below) to quiesce and inform the broader community on the nuances between Griot's support policies and the implication that AGO covers only a SUBSET of them. So let me do AGO CS's job and show them how it CAN BE DONE. Before that, I need to say some things.
Here is the closed thread for reference: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/customer-comments/103545-worst-service-my-life.html
First, general membership --> I find it increasingly rude when people in this forum begin to take offense to negative comments against AGO's behaviors. C'mon people.... do you really think this forum was solely for good news ONLY? WRONG. I think the phrase "your opinion counts" is in a few areas on this forum and having been around here close to 5 years now, AGO has always sought to listen and improve as a general guiding principle. That said, I have also seen AGO grow and with it some bureaucracy and inattention to the finer things. It is a natural byproduct of that success and maturity. It's not as if those finer things disappeared, but consistency issues surface as organically as anything else in the best of companies. If they don't recognize it and acknowledge it, then how can they improve?
Second, AGO customer service --> Is there a documented rule where threads that connote bad news have a shorter lifespan than the threads with good and interesting news? Because your closure of that thread seemed out of line to me. And while you guys are the forum administrators and have every right to manage the forum as you deem necessary, folks like me do get turned off at times. The last several times I have seen threads closed made sense. This one does not; albeit I will say that it was trending towards requiring closure.
Now, here is what CS should have done....
In addition to Griot's product warranty they include includes a customer for life guarantee whereby they provide 6 mos. of usage of their product. If during that 6 mos. window one of their customers doesn't like their product, it can be returned for a full refund or credit direct from Griot's. https://www.griotsgarage.com/category/customer+service/customers+for+life+-+100-+guarantee.do
I suspect AGO supports Griot's product warranty, but not their guarantee. And while there may be some overlap, perceived or real, they are not exactly the same. Here is an example thread on Meguiar's DA that illustrates macro and micro points and assertions I have already made --> http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/customer-comments/98267-warranty-autogeek.html
In closing....
Now, the conflict between CS and customer (in the closed thread) was a lack of context and understanding on Griot's unique selling point, the guarantee itself. I don't think either party realized the lack of understanding (when the customer was considering a Griot's purchase) was contextual; and that ultimately is the root cause of the disconnect. AGO CS should be mature enough to acknowledge this, but instead it was easier for them to close the thread (maybe even force a phone call between both parties which is not necessarily bad). But closing the thread makes things seem a little harsh. That said, every business knows they bear the responsibility to learn and adjust their policies and communications as needed to avoid future recurrence. The customer was not being unreasonable. Mistaken, yes, but not unreasonable. That is the opportunity AGO lost in that interaction for all to see. While sarcastic, this comment also has some truth to it as it connotes a trend I see... these days at AGO I see more free gifts being thrown into a box compared to acknowledging the need to improve communications.
This is one of several threads showing online communications being an opportunity to improve --> http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/customer-comments/101975-contact.html
Nick is but one person and there is no way he can be omni-present across every interaction. It takes a team to provide a consistent message across an ever-changing landscape as companies grow quickly. And that team is needs to always continuously improve.
Here is the closed thread for reference: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/customer-comments/103545-worst-service-my-life.html
First, general membership --> I find it increasingly rude when people in this forum begin to take offense to negative comments against AGO's behaviors. C'mon people.... do you really think this forum was solely for good news ONLY? WRONG. I think the phrase "your opinion counts" is in a few areas on this forum and having been around here close to 5 years now, AGO has always sought to listen and improve as a general guiding principle. That said, I have also seen AGO grow and with it some bureaucracy and inattention to the finer things. It is a natural byproduct of that success and maturity. It's not as if those finer things disappeared, but consistency issues surface as organically as anything else in the best of companies. If they don't recognize it and acknowledge it, then how can they improve?
Second, AGO customer service --> Is there a documented rule where threads that connote bad news have a shorter lifespan than the threads with good and interesting news? Because your closure of that thread seemed out of line to me. And while you guys are the forum administrators and have every right to manage the forum as you deem necessary, folks like me do get turned off at times. The last several times I have seen threads closed made sense. This one does not; albeit I will say that it was trending towards requiring closure.
Now, here is what CS should have done....
In addition to Griot's product warranty they include includes a customer for life guarantee whereby they provide 6 mos. of usage of their product. If during that 6 mos. window one of their customers doesn't like their product, it can be returned for a full refund or credit direct from Griot's. https://www.griotsgarage.com/category/customer+service/customers+for+life+-+100-+guarantee.do
I suspect AGO supports Griot's product warranty, but not their guarantee. And while there may be some overlap, perceived or real, they are not exactly the same. Here is an example thread on Meguiar's DA that illustrates macro and micro points and assertions I have already made --> http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/customer-comments/98267-warranty-autogeek.html
In closing....
Now, the conflict between CS and customer (in the closed thread) was a lack of context and understanding on Griot's unique selling point, the guarantee itself. I don't think either party realized the lack of understanding (when the customer was considering a Griot's purchase) was contextual; and that ultimately is the root cause of the disconnect. AGO CS should be mature enough to acknowledge this, but instead it was easier for them to close the thread (maybe even force a phone call between both parties which is not necessarily bad). But closing the thread makes things seem a little harsh. That said, every business knows they bear the responsibility to learn and adjust their policies and communications as needed to avoid future recurrence. The customer was not being unreasonable. Mistaken, yes, but not unreasonable. That is the opportunity AGO lost in that interaction for all to see. While sarcastic, this comment also has some truth to it as it connotes a trend I see... these days at AGO I see more free gifts being thrown into a box compared to acknowledging the need to improve communications.
This is one of several threads showing online communications being an opportunity to improve --> http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/customer-comments/101975-contact.html
Nick is but one person and there is no way he can be omni-present across every interaction. It takes a team to provide a consistent message across an ever-changing landscape as companies grow quickly. And that team is needs to always continuously improve.
