I have an issue with a customer. I know that "the customer is always right" however, this one really pushed my buttons for some reason.
The customer purchased a set of axles at a competitor because they were cheaper than us. He then sent us an email with the following question:
Quote:
Wayne,
Sorry for the confusion. I already have the axles as they are currently taking up floor space in my study. I am ordering the other parts that go along with these axles so that I can finally get the new units in place. The axles I have are GKN/Lobro 300672 923 332 033 02 and my questions are related to 1). the roll pins (do I need these or they already included in the complete axle assembly?) - the part break down I found did not clear up this issue and 2). the length of the axle bolts also created some confusion (do I need 8X45mm or 8X50mm?-Pelican is only showing the 8X50mm length).
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This customer called up one of our salesreps, and our salesrep tried to his best knowledge figure out the answer to his question. Now, I've written a few books on Porsches, and I personally would have difficulty figuring out exactly what this customer needed. Our salesrep tried to help the customer to the best of his abilities. In the end, the customer was sent the wrong parts and was unhappy with this.
This customer's chief complaint has been the fact that some email sent to our customer support line either wasn't received by us or him. We're actually getting rid of all email for CSR issues, as it is very frustrating when messages get blocked by spam, etc (happens ALL THE TIME). I am working on this particular problem - I have someone very good on email right now, but they have no control over whether or not email gets delivered.
I basically told the customer that I was irritated that he was asking me what parts were included with a set of axles that were purchased elsewhere, and which parts were needed? I told him that he should have asked the vendor that he bought the axles from.
The customer has been a good customer in the past, but this exchange really pushed a button for me. It really irks me to have the customer admittedly purchase $250 worth of parts elsewhere, then come to me for support and the $20 worth of hardware to install them.
What do you think? Am I reacting irrationally when I'm irritated by this?
-Wayne