retail
Customers Say the Funniest Things – Or Do They?!
Research into UK customer service levels reveals the Top 20 customer complaints received by retailers and service providers in 2011
6 December 2011 – Over 200 customer service professionals were asked to detail the funniest, most unusual, or seemingly outrageous customer complaints they have received in recent years, as part of a research project into customer service levels in the UK.
The research was carried out by Henley Business School and customer complaint management specialist, CDC Software. The Top 20 results have been broken into to the following categories – retail, holidays, pets and utilities and are as follows:
Retail
1) A customer phoned to complain following the delivery of a curtain pole. On finding no one home, the driver decided it would be possible to still deliver the pole – through the letterbox. When the customer returned they found their dog pinned to the wall!
2) Following the purchase of a dishwasher, a customer returned to the store and announced: “The dishwasher is quite obviously faulty – when set to wash, water sprays, but the plates don’t spin!”
3) A student contacted a food producer to complain that he’d almost choked on a fish hook. A full investigation followed involving full traceability reports. It was established that the dish used net caught fish and no hooks had been used in the production process. The student apologised for trying to falsely obtain compensation!
4) A customer complained that the ham he’d purchased was unreasonably salty. The retailer said he would receive a full refund on the return of the remaining ham. The customer said this “would be impossible”. He’d managed to eat the remaining 480grams of offending ham!
5) A supermarket customer complained that his bill was wrong. The assistant explained that a number of in-store discounts had been applied, hence the lower than expected bill. The customer would not accept this and insisted on speaking to the manager. Despite further explanation, the customer could not be appeased until it was accepted that he was right and “allowed” to pay the higher total!
6) On receiving a call advising that her contact lens order was early and could be collected, the customer complained to the head office, suggestion that the ‘overzealous’ ordering system was akin to high pressure selling!
7) A customer threatened to escalate his complaint, adamant that his phone should have withstood a full wash cycle. The label sewn to his jacket pocket clearly stated that the pocket was “fully waterproof”!
8) A television was returned because the picture was not clear. On being told he was required to protective film from the screen, the customer insisted that at no point during the sales process had he been told he’d be required to do this and insisted on a full refund, plus compensation for his wasted time!
Holidays
9) An insurance company received a call following an incident in a hired campervan. It claimed that a crash and the resulting damage to the interior and exterior of the van was the result of a faulty auto-drive system.
In his claim, the customer stated: “I put the vehicle into auto-drive and walked to the rear of the vehicle, only to be thrown against the basinet, flinging fresh coffee flung against the wall and cabinets as the auto-drive failed and took us, at some speed, into the hedgerow.”
10) On return from a camping holiday on an approved “farm stay” site, a holiday maker requested a full refund stating their holiday had been ruined by the “intrusive noise of cows mooing!”
Pets
11) A pet owner contacted a high-profile department store to complain that the dog coat purchased was not “fit for purpose”. When dressed in the dog coat she revealed her rabbit had “gnawed through the straps.”
12) A pet shop refunded a customer after they complained the hamster recently purchased was “neither friendly nor cuddly.”
13) A customer contacted a leading watch brand to complain about the quality of its goods. Despite the company’s “promise of quality”, the strap had failed to stand-up to being chewed by a dog!
14) A blouse was returned to a high street retailer with a demand, not only for a refund, but compensation for the vets fees incurred due to the pattern causing the customer’s dog to bite itself!
15) A high street bank received a complaint from a customer claiming its TV advertisement encouraged animal cruelty – the ad featured a pet snake being released into the garden!
Utilities
16) A utilities company received a call from a customer complaining about the exceptionally high quality of customer service. It was suggested that less money was spent on staff training and the savings put to reducing customer bills!
17) A customer contacted their electricity provider complaining a power failure resulting from high winds caused them to miss a “vital episode” of Coronation Street!
18) An electricity provider received a call about an exceptionally high bill. It was agreed that for a two bedroom house, it was and an investigative visit was arranged. On arrival, the engineer found seven huge chest freezers in the garage. It turned out the customer was a taxidermist and the freezers were used to store customers’ deceased pets – hence the higher than average bill!
And finally
19) An internal helpdesk received a call from a user complaining that she could only view her monitor correctly if she lay her head on her desk. Once the monitor was rotated by the support team, the problem was solved!
20) A diner complained to the waiter that the Champagne recommended was not as “excellent” as suggested. Despite consuming all but a glass of the bottle, he insisted on a full-refund!
21) Having filled his car with petrol at an independent petrol station, a customer presented his fuel card to pay. On being told this card was not accepted he explained that he had no other means of payment and suggested that he call his bank to arrange a transfer. The cashier was not happy, accused the driver of trying to steal fuel and drew a shotgun on him! This complaint is still being investigated!
Note to editors:
The question was asked as part of a wider research project into customer service levels in the UK and the public’s perception of customer complaints management: “The Future of CRM”. The supporting roundtable discussion, research highlights, customer service opinion Vox Pop and a video summary of the funny complaints can be viewed at
The examples listed above are based on real events; however, names have been withheld and certain facts changed to protect the confidentiality of the parties.
More details about CDC Software and customer complaints management visit www.cdcrespond.com or contact Caroline Howlett or Sophie Bailey at Strategic PR on 01494 434434 or cdc@strategicpr.net.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )15 ‘Shop Safe’ Golden Rules for Retailers and Consumers for the Christmas Period – Providing protection from Cyber Criminals and Hactivists this Christmas
Now Black Friday and Cyber Monday have kicked-off what has traditionally been the busiest shopping quarter of the year, IT security expert, Ron Meyran of Radware provides tips on how retailers and service providers can protect their profits and their customers banking details
Background: Cyber Crime has shifted from financial or informational hacks to vigilante ‘hactivism’. Today’s hackers might break into a secure system or launch a DDoS attack for traditional reasons; but more than ever, attacks against businesses for behaviour contrary to hackers’ ideals are becoming commonplace.
As we approach the Christmas shopping season where most businesses account for the majority of their revenue and engage in the highest percentage of monthly online sales, this can be an extremely vulnerable time for a cyber-attack. For any hacker who wants to put a dent in a company’s bottom line – now is the time to strike.
Who: Enterprises can stay protected with these golden rules from Ron Meyran, director, Security Product Marketing at Radware.
What: Golden rules for large retailers
1. Assess business risks. It is essential for businesses to understand what would provide the most risk to the company. A data breach? Web defacement? Service degradation? Service shut down? Prepare for the worst-case scenario.
2. Assess your enemies. Competitors may want a business down, and financially motivated criminals might seek its customers. Well-known companies, or those affiliated with the copyright industry, (e.g. movies, publishing,) are at risk from hacktivists groups, like Anonymous, at any time.
3. Deploy DDoS Protection solutions. DDoS is a growing threat that can no longer be ignored. Downtime due to DDoS attack may cost a business not only in lost revenue, but also in a damaged reputation. Some service providers offer Network DDoS protection, but companies need to fight application DDoS. Investing in security tools and expertise is a critical step to keeping a business healthy.
4. Know users. Deploy a Network Behavioural Analysis (NBA) tool to monitor exactly what types of information users are sending and receiving, and to whom. Set-up access restrictions to protect confidential information such as team sheets, player fitness details and equipment designs.
5. Deploy a network wide security management tool. Use this to correlate event logs from all security tools. Attackers have become sophisticated; they use multiple attack vectors to probe, breach and abuse your systems. You must maintain your ability to be on top of every suspicious activity.
6. Rethink perimeter security. Mitigating today’s network and application attacks can no longer rely on traditional network security protection tools. Vendors offer IPS solutions or DoS mitigation solutions – all are point solutions that rely on a deterministic or statistical approach. Fighting emerging network threats requires adopting a holistic approach that combines traditional security tools with network behavioural analysis tools.
Golden rules for small and medium retailers
1. Maintain up-to-date systems. This includes all available software patches and updates. Small businesses need to install the latest general acceptance software versions on their equipment.
2. Deploy a network-wide security management tool. As previously stated, correlate event logs from all security tools in a centralized location. Attackers use multiple attack vectors to probe, breach and abuse systems, so maintain the ability to be ahead of suspicious activity.
3. Separate internal and external application servers. e-commerce applications are should be most secured. Don’t place the mail servers on the same segment, as it opens another port through which a hacker can gain automatic access to internal data.
4. Educate customers. Businesses can engage savvy customers by ensuring that all promotional content comes from the email address they know. Also, drive home the point in all mailings that the business would never ask for personal information.
5. Compliance does not always assure security. Being compliant may cover retailers in case of a security breach, but the main objective is to avoid the next breach. By using compliance tools to mould best practices, companies can remain secured.
Golden rules for shoppers
1. Be real. If an offer seems too good to be true, then it is.
2. Be suspicious. Got a promotional email? Don’t click the embedded links. Go to the online retailer web site and look for the promoted goods there. Can’t find it? It’s probably a scam.
3. Be coy. Never provide account credentials unless it is through actively accessing an account. Phishing emails are more authentic looking than ever – even if an email is identical to a company’s logo and image, companies will almost never ask for personal information.
4. Be legit. Get a genuine copy of the manufacturer’s application or operating system software and install a paid antivirus software. Running an operating system’s copy doesn’t provide the security updates and software patches which are critical to keep systems up-to-date against emerging threats. Additionally, most free anti-virus software is outdated at best, if not the virus itself!
About Radware
Radware (NASDAQ: RDWR), is a global leader of application delivery and application security solutions for virtual and cloud data centres. Its award-winning solutions portfolio delivers full resilience for business-critical applications, maximum IT efficiency, and complete business agility. Radware’s solutions empower more than 10,000 enterprise and carrier customers worldwide to adapt to market challenges quickly, maintain business continuity and achieve maximum productivity while keeping costs down. For more information, please visit www.radware.com.
For more information or to speak with Ron Meyran contact:
Caroline Howlett or Sophie Bailey
Strategic PR
01494 434434 or Radware@strategicpr.net
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