When is it OK to finally loose your patience with a company?

[CDXXVII]

If you politely send email reminders every other week and a follow up phone call somewhere in between to no avail, when do you throw in the towel?

There are many reasons why a company is behind on call back or back orders but what is the etiquette with regards to updates?

Where is the line between an impatient customer and an indifferent company representative drawn?

How many of you bite your tongue out of fear of losing the support you need?

I just wonder if the days of open communication and customer satisfaction first are gone and never to return.

I know we have all suffered economic change and many have ended up having to pick up the slack from layoffs and restructuring but where does it end and when does it get better?

[Mike N]

Raising hell doesn't seem to go over very well these days but you can always vote with your feet. If you are not getting the service you deserve then cancel your order and go elsewhere.

[skullandbones]

I can empathize with you. Everyone has good and bad experiences like this. I have found that email is not that great in many cases. It is good for documentation (time stamp) but an accompanying phone call follow up is what really gauges the "concern level" of the company and usually gets better response (escalate to proper authority level). If you raise hell with the company rep. you're wasting your time. At some point, they will step up and do what is right or you will be able to tell just how committed to customer service and satisfaction they really are. Then take the solution or walk. However, don't think this is a trend in business. If anything, the trend is to give excellent customer service which is the only thing (in many cases) that a company can do to differentiate itself from the others besides price. Discount Tires is a perfect example of a really good business culture. You can expect that kind of service from every employee in the building. So it's not that the world is going to hell, it's just a few folks not paying attention to what keeps them in business in the first place. Hope it works out for you. WEK.

[carbon fiber]

thumbs up on the discount tires. i ordered a set of wheels that were just out and there was a manufacturers backorder situation, the rep called me regularly for 6 months until i got 'em. nice rep & co.

[Movieman]

I think it all comes down to courtesy and upbringing with a dash of company policy tossed in.
Unless I'm in northern Canada on my yearly fishing trip I respond to all emails within 24 hours.
Back when I was working the first thing I did daily was to answer any emails that had come in overnight as I considered those
yesterdays work and to be handled first.
One of the issues I see with todays society is that many people are just plain afraid to say NO to a customer for fear of upsetting them.
The issue is the ignoring of that customer is far worse but they just don't seem to get it.
Heck, life is full of "NO's" and we should have no problems accepting that word but to email a company and get no response just irritates the living crap out of me.
Tell me yea or no but tell me something and when I ask the question of "How much is one and one" don't answer "blue"
Yea, I'm going thru this right now so thats why my rant here.:D

[gtaroger]

I don't know. I was almost given a time out on the other forum for being to volcal about a vender. Roger