Now let me 'fess
up right at the start - I sell things online so you might think that
it is in my best interests to make this sound as slick and easy as
possible.
Of course I want
to encourage people to buy online and preferably buy from the merchants
that I promote online but I also recognise the fact that the experience
you have while shopping is important.
It's important
to you and it's important to me because if you feel you got burned
then you will not be so ready to shop online in the future and that
will eventually hit my bottom line.
So let me give
you some hints on what to do when a problem arises after you have
made a purchase online and that way we can all benefit.
Surfing websites
like this one can be a real wealth hazard. There are so many cool
things on offer that you can buy and have delivered direct to your
door with nothing more than a few key strokes and mouse clicks. Of
course we have all heard those horror stories that people like to
tell about purchases that have gone wrong or credit card details that
have been hijacked but all those nice things just waiting…
The fact is that
the horror stories are becoming more a matter of urban legend than
of fact. Purchasing online is becoming far safer than it once was
and more and more people are taking advantage of the ability to purchase
items that they can't find down at the local mall.
They are making
those purchases with confidence because they know that more and more
reputable merchants are coming online in an effort to expand the reach
of their business. People are also becoming aware that there are safeguards
built in to online purchases. The card companies are keen to ensure
that their customer, the cardholder, is treated right and so their
influence impacts on the merchants.
Despite all that
there are still a very small percentage of online sales that go sour.
Perhaps the goods do not arrive, perhaps they don't quite match the
description that was given on the website. There can be any number
of reasons why problems may arise so if it should happen to you what
should you do?
The very first
step starts back before you even start entering your details in the
order form. Make sure that you understand clearly what the terms of
sale really are. I once handled the customer service desk for an online
merchant who made it plain on the website that shipping was not overnight.
Yet so many people complained because their order was not with them
within 24 hours.
There was nowhere
on the site that indicated overnight delivery and it was made clear
that the items were shipped from Asia and yet easily 40% of all purchasers
assumed that the goods were shipped from within the United States
and would be delivered within 24 hours.
The next step
is to make sure that when you place your order you take a note of
the order number that is either emailed to you or displayed on the
thankyou screen. Many merchants receive and ship a large volume of
orders every day and it is almost impossible to trace an order without
the order number.
Obviously when
your order does not arrive or is not up to your expectations then
you are going to be upset. You are going to be angry and you will
often feel like biting someone but please don't pour out your frustrations
on the customer service operator at the other end of the phone or
the other end of the email. It's quite likely in this modern age of
outsourcing that the operator is not an employee of the merchant.
Instead, try to
remain calm and set out your complaint in a polite but positive manner.
You are the customer and the customer is always right but that does
not mean that the person on the other end of the phone or email is
a thief, a cretin and someone who is only interested in maximising
his employer's profits.
That may sound
a little hard but a Southern Baptist minister once called me all those
things - but in a much more profane manner - when his order had gone
astray. As it turned out his order had not only gone astray but it
hadn't even been placed with the company that I was doing the customer
service work for.
Customer service
operators are human beings and all human beings respond positively
when they are treated in a similar manner. If you want a quick resolution
to your problem then be polite and pleasant and the response will
have more chance of being positive than if you emulated that lovely
Southern Baptist minister.
Just now I suggested
that you should be polite and positive and there is another thing
you should be and that is clear. Clearly set out the problem and clearly
indicate what you expect to be done to rectify the problem.
At the same time
you should not have unreal expectations of the merchant. If the item
has been lost in transit then you are entitled to expect either a
refund or another shipment of the goods.
However, if the
item could not be shipped overnight originally then don't expect the
merchant to be able to ship the replacement item overnight. If you
ask for a refund don't expect it to appear on your statement the very
next day. If the original order did not appear on your card statement
the next day then it is unlikely that the refund would.
All that may sound
rather obvious but you would be amazed at just how many consumers
expect those things to happen and when they don't happen it just proves
to them that the customer service operator is a thief, a cretin and
… well you get my point.
If those things
could be done that quickly then you can be sure that the merchant
would do it. While the Internet has given merchants the chance to
take their business to the world it has also opened up every marketplace
to strong competition. No merchant wants to lose customers or even
have less than happy customers so you can be sure that most merchants
will do their utmost to correct problems in as short a time as possible.
The amount of
retail business that is being done online runs into the billions of
dollars every year and everyone from the card companies right down
to the merchants are aware of just how important it is to make their
customers' online shopping experiences positive and enjoyable.
The percentage
of purchases that will go sour is very, very small and if it happens
to you then these simple guidelines will help you achieve a positive
outcome.
A positive outcome
for you is a positive outcome for all of us.
