Editor’s note: This article is a not a rant about Dell. Dell is simply an example of what I believe is poor customer relations having a negative impact.

Last week we bought a projector (Dell M109S) for our studio, Solley Photography. It was a cool, tiny (fits in the palm of your hand) Dell model, highly praised on the Dell web site. We were excited about the prospect of bringing this small new projector to our clients’ homes to give a presentation of the clients’ photos.

But we hit a snag. And that snag reaffirmed our philosophies on customer service. Let me explain.

We were very excited when the UPS delivery truck arrived with the projector. We opened the box, turned it on, plugged it into the computer, and…yuck. The image was dark, not much larger than a large computer monitor, and just generally stunk. Maybe it’s just too bright in our living room, we thought. So we went to the basement where it was dark, and our experience wasn’t any better. Our expectations of the product were completely dashed.

We called Dell and told them we wanted to return the projector. We told them it fell far short of our expectations and that we’d buy a full size projector. We were quickly told that the projector was performing as designed and that we’d have to pay a 15% restocking fee. What?! So we lose shipping and have to pay just to give back a poor product? Plus they tell us they’ll refund our money 30 days after they’ve received the return. It’s safe to say we won’t be buying any Dell products again, ever!

How I See Things

It’s this simple: if you have a poor product and combine it with poor service after the sale, don’t expect your customers to return. We take this very seriously here at my studio. We do everything in our power to deliver a product (our photos) that exceeds our clients’ expectations. In addition, should we ever falter, we make it right. Immediately. No questions, no hidden fees.

Putting Our Money Where Our Mouth Is

We recently demonstrated this commitment to quality and service to one of our clients. She made a print order by email. We fulfilled her order as usual and sent the prints to her. The next day, she called to tell us there had been a mistake. We had sent her the wrong photo. We told her “no problem, we’ll take care of it immediately”. Turns out she had asked for the wrong photo in her email order to us (it’s easy to do when ordering lots of images).

At this point we could have gone the same route as Dell. We could have asked for her credit card number and charged her for replacement prints. But we didn’t. Instead we immediately got the new prints made and got them in her hands a couple days later (the day before her son’s 2nd birthday party). When she found out the mistake had been hers, she offered to pay for the replacement prints, but we declined because we know a little good will goes a long way.

This is what sets us apart from so many businesses these days. We like to think it’s refreshing, especially in this down economy.

A few days later we got a call from our now very happy customer. She wanted us to send her a stack of brochures. Turns out she owns a scrap booking business and talks to lots and lots of moms every day. She wanted to start giving them something tangible when she raved about a photographer she recently worked with. That’s cheap advertising.

What do you think? Think companies should start stepping up? If you have a photography business, do you treat your customers like they’re valued, or like enemies?

Do you think Dell is blowing it on customer relations?

• Definitely. They're attitude toward customers only hurts their business.
• No way, Tim Solley is being unreasonable.

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Updated #1

I sent this email to Dell customer service yesterday:

I just wanted to know that I think your company’s attitude toward your customers stinks. You treat your customers not like they are valued, but like enemies.

I find your customer service so lacking that I wrote a blog post about it. By this time tomorrow more than 2000 people will have read it.

Enjoy:

http://www.sublime-light.com/index.php/2009/08/03/dude-youre-gettin-a-dell-and-it-sucks/

And here was the customer service rep’s response:

Dear Tim Solley,

Thank you for contacting Dell Online Customer Care.

I see that you are not satisfied with the level of service you have received. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused to you. We have taken your feedback into consideration and we assure you that we will work on making improvements based on your feedback.

I have received your email however it does not provide the information that is critical from resolution point of view. Please elaborate on the concern that you are facing. As once I have the required information, I will be in a position to assist you with the issue.

I assure you that both Dell and I are committed to a quick and complete resolution of your issue.

Sincerely,

Naveen Grover
Rep ID 104123
Dell Online Customer Care

http://support.dell.com

I’d say it’s pretty obvious that Naveen didn’t bother to read this post. I even said “I wrote a blog post about it”. Looks like even when you send them details they don’t bother to read.

Update #2

It just keeps getting better! here’s the email I sent back to Naveen:

Sure Naveen, I’d be happy to elaborate.

I purchased a projector from you (see my order number). When it arrived, it was useless. I can’t even read the screen, even in a dark basement pointing the projector at a white paper screen. In addition, the screen is tiny. As I said, I cannot use the projector.

So I called to return it, and was told that I would incur a 15% restocking fee. And that the refund would take 30 days. So now I’m out for shipping, around $50 in restocking fees, and I won’t even see my refund for a month. This is an absolute joke.

Further, I explained all this in the link I sent you, which you obviously didn’t read, or you would have had more than enough information. Not exactly customer “service”, is it?

And Naveen’s response:

Dear Tim Solley,

Thank you for contacting Dell Online Customer Care.

I understand from your email that you want to know the credit status.

I see that the credit request has been initiated under CRA number 118037628. It can take up to 15 days for Dell to receive and process your return once it is picked up by the carrier.

Since it has been less than 15 days since the product you are returning was picked up, you can check the status of your credit return by going online to “My Account”, then click on “Order Status” for your account activity.

Sincerely,

Naveen Grover
Rep ID 104123
Dell Online Customer Care

http://support.dell.com