A Day Off and a Blog on Customer Service

Writer's block that's what it was! I sat down to write the blog yesterday with a little foray into my top secret research draw. The research was fascinating-do you know you're walking around with ten times as many bacteria cells in and on your body than human cells-but the writing proved to be impossible.

It was probably Friday that did me in. Up at 4:30 to write the blog and then off to a charity golf tournament, then back to Easton to set up a party for the end-of-season meeting of the Hockomock Film Festival's Film Club, followed by periods two and three of the Bruins.

I'll spare you detailed information on the important discovery that people can be classified by gut bacteria type, and instead talk about the Consumer Reports article on customer service.

The charity tournament I played in was sponsored by an independent company that sells business electronics. They make a good living by being intermediaries between large computer companies and consumers. Their secret is good customer service and lots of "thank yous for your business". They also take on the hassles of dealing with Acer, Gateway, Dell, HP/Compaq, Sony, and Toshiba which received abysmal ratings for customer service from Consumer's Reports.

As I've mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of phone-in customer service so I usually take any computer problem right over to the Apple Store in Braintree. Apple topped the list in the CR ratings for both knowledgeable sales staff and computer tech support. I blogged about my positive experience there, and since then an OA student with an under warranty malfunction actually got a brand new and upgraded computer immediately as a replacement.

The big loser in the CR ratings was Walmart or anything associated with Walmart like Sam's Club, Walmart Supercenter, and the Walmart Pharmacy. Cheap stuff cheap is an attraction, but sales staff that sprint for the break room whenever you appear is not. For family shoppers a plan exists. Station a family member just out of sight at the end of an aisle where a clerk is located and then have the rest of the family charge down the other end of the aisle with puzzled looks on their faces. As the clerk flees, the stealth member steps into their path and asks the question. Unfortunately, the chances of catching anyone at Walmart who knows anything is slim.

I haven't shopped at Walmart since Target opened in Easton. In the latest Consumer Reports ratings Target never makes the top of the list in any category, but unlike Walmart it only falls to the bottom of the list in the small appliance category.

Independent stores had the best ratings for appliances. Jeff Hammond touted me onto George Washington Toma in a distant corner of the Westgate complex when I needed a washer and dryer. I had been doing price checks at Sears (usually OK service, but the store was busy the day I went in) Lowe's (I've never been impressed by their helpfulness) and Best Buy (limited choices, but a very helpful sales person). The sales staff at George Washington Toma was busy too since I was shopping at the end of the Mass energy savings period, but someone came right over and greeted me, asked what I was looking for, and put me on the list for the next available sales person. The salesman answered all my questions about top loaders and front loaders and found a water saving top loader in my price range. Delivery and installation was just as easy. I'm going back to GWT for a fridge this year.

One place I won't be going is Bay State Ford. I recently thought I had lost my electronic car key. I'd done that once in the Tanner Ford era, and they had me come in, sign a security form, looked up my key combination and made a new key. This time a brusque person on the other end of the phone told me I'd have to have the car towed to Bay State and then it would cost me $147 for a new key. Friends in the business told me to expect to pay about $80. Luckily I found the keys and went to Fernandes Lumber and had a spare key made. By the way, as the least handy of all handymen, I always go to Fernandes for the superior customer service and advice.

One surly phone response lost Bay State a customer. I'm also supporting the Right to Repair law so that Furnace Brook Motors can keep servicing my car and truck. I just want Bay State to know that
I'm over the Pearl Harbor thing now so if the Japanese would just stop killing whales, I'll be buying a Toyota next time. Say does anyone know where the nearest Hyundai dealership is located?