Comments for 10CentsWorth

Comment on And here I thought Macs NEVER broke… by Venice Loche

Venice Loche — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:09:51 +0000

VRy wonderful to read through it

Comment on How to fix dwindling loyalty in a company, or brand. by Jay

Jay — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:59:00 +0000

Be warned: I did the exact same thing a couple years ago (switched from Flex to regular) and it completely screwed up my bill for almost two months.

Just make sure your old Flex account is actually closed, as it may not be connected to your new one. I had a small remaining balance on my "old" account, which T-mobile didn't say a thing about, and it wasn't transferred to my "new" bill. I started getting auto-called by their past-due billing department over it, and it took the T-Mobile CSR's several hours and several calls to get it figured out.

Bottom line is they had to completely close my flex account then create a new one, and they never explained to me that it would be necessary. I had to have them add a note to my account indicating my actual length of time as a customer because the "new" account only showed the time since upgrading.

As I told the last supervisor I spoke with at T-Mobile when they finally fixed it "I never had a problem with your service, at all, until I upgraded two phones, added a third line, and tried to give you more money per month."

Comment on How to fix dwindling loyalty in a company, or brand. by Hartzfeld

Hartzfeld — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 09:05:01 +0000

YES! Great piece, keep up the terrific work. This is the type of information that should gain recognition for it’s craft. More writers should learn from you. This is right on the money.

Comment on How to fix dwindling loyalty in a company, or brand. by hireheather

hireheather — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:29:51 +0000

Unfortunately, too few company execs are reading blogs like yours right now. Having worked in big corporations, one thing I know is that they decide what they want the outcome to be (usually making more money), then establish systems without regard to whether they actually help them RETAIN customers. They either fail to encourage initiative like the one your TMobile rep showed, fail to discipline those who don't show it or just pay no attention at all as long as the cash is rolling in (despite the fact that doing so could make them millions). They just sit in their ivory towers pretending they know what's going on.

That's why I'm enjoying the new show "Undercover Boss." Yeah, it's formulaic, but I do so enjoy seeing them find out what it's REALLY like for once.

And to all those execs who don't fit the description I gave above, kudos; but you're still a dying breed.

Comment on How to fix dwindling loyalty in a company, or brand. by Lauren

Lauren — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:17:19 +0000

great post! i'm constantly disgusted by the lack of customer service nowadays. there are only a few giant corporations i don't mind dealing with- jetblue, progressive car insurance, and…i think that is about it!

Comment on How to fix dwindling loyalty in a company, or brand. by jillpr

jillpr — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:53:02 +0000

It's true – hey corporations, want to turn your customer base into a fan base full of brand ambassadors? DO A GOOD JOB. That's it. Seriously. If someone has a bad experience, make it right.

I am a huge rewarder of brands doing good things for me. I will literally track down people I think need their services and promote them. They get this for free because I think they're awesome. Like WestJet. And Thompson Optics (in Edmonton AB). Two more free plugs for awesome companies I love.

Comment on How to fix dwindling loyalty in a company, or brand. by Steve R.

Steve R. — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:58:17 +0000

I found out many years ago that when trying to get answers from any large organization, you will get different answers everytime you talk to a different person. So I started keeping names and dates. Then I started hearing: “We don’t have anyone that works here by that name. I don’t know who told you that, but it’s not our policy.” Now I also get a representative number if they will give me one.

The problem is that the larger the corporate entity, the more disconnect you have between the right hand and the left. People indifferent areas are given different information. I had a similar issue with my cable bill recently. When my promotion period ended, my bill shot up, so I called to ask for another promotion. The best they offered me was a promotion that was $40 a month more than my old plan. They put me on hold while they got the plan started. After 40 minutes on hold, I finally decided I’d been abandoned. I called back again and this time got someone who was able to offer me the same promotion I’d had before. His explanation was that the second time I got into the retention department, which had more authority to offer a good deal to keep me.

Comment on We’re gonna get all kinds of “fiction” on you. by 10CentsWorth

10CentsWorth — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:01:28 +0000

Seriously. Good times, good times.

Comment on We’re gonna get all kinds of “fiction” on you. by Dan

Dan — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:27:41 +0000

Good memories, Mikey.

Comment on 2010 Grammy Review: Taylor Swift Chokes, again. by Ariel Imbier

Ariel Imbier — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:22:48 +0000

I love everything about Lady Gaga ! She is a really talented creative person, her costumes are exceptional, she’s hot and beautiful. She demonstrated so much grace and class with her interview with Barbara Walters. She had a dream and she got it, I know she worked hard to get there.