This and That

[susandennis]

I buy a lot of stuff online and am constantly amazed at the disparity in customer service. Here's what I want:

1. A nice picture of the object and as many details about it I can get - but a photo is required.


2. The choice to 'register' or not and if not, I still want full tracking of my purchase.
   
3. Information - before I enter my credit card number - about how it will be shipped, how long it will take to ship and what the shipping will cost.


4. After I enter my order, I want a confirmation email immediately. Bonus points if that email gives me detail on what to expect next (shipping info to follow w/in 24 hours or do this... etc.)


5. I want a tracking number and I don't want it 4 days before the number is valid.

I don't think any of the above is asking too much. I have found that the quality of the website does not necessarily dictate that the outfit will be there for all 5 points.

This week I ordered a walking tape from a nice looking website and even paid extra to have it shipped early. Only after the purchase do I learn that if I want to find out exactly when I will get my tape, I have to make a long distance phone call.

Yesterday I ordered filters for my humidifier from a pretty primative website of a hardware store in Canada. 1-4 above where done perfectly and I just got an email with my UPS tracking number and it is already a valid number the UPS system.

In a story about something that I wasn't paying attention to this morning on NPR, I heard 'The culture of a company is what guides employees when there isn't a rule to guide them.' Ok, not an exact quote - but it was 6 a.m. It's the gist of it.

I have thought a lot about that this morning. I was 'raised' by a company with a very strong corprate culture. An IBM employee in the olden days always had a very strong sense of what was appropriate and what was not. What was repectful and what was not. What was acceptable and what was not. I worked for IBM twice - once as a sales rep when I was 22-24 and again in corporate communications from the time I was 29 until I was 44. The IBM corporate culture of the years prior to 1995 is embedded into my DNA.

The corporate culture of this company is the opposite. There are few rules and what rules there are change depending on the employee. What is acceptable for one employee is not for another - based on the day of the week or the phases of the moon - hard to tell. No one - executives on down - have any clue about what is appropriate. There is no respect for anything or anyone here at all.

We have a serious case of corporate cultural crotch rot.

I have four new puzzles to make! And they are all four excellent. Watch this space.

My housecleaner came today and my house is beautiful again. I was just there. Jake and Betty were sitting together in the hallway. I'm guessing they were drawing straws for who was going to sprinkle the cat toys around the rooms again and who was going to deposit clumps of cat hair around. I think they just hate it when they have to start from scratch.

Comments

[machupicchu.livejournal.com]

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HA! Corporate culture crotch rot -- that's the best phrase I've heard in months.

You know, I just have to tell you that honestly, I never would expect a woman in her mid-fifties to be so consistently amusing and engaging in an online journal. But you are easily one of my favorites to read. You never fail to crack me up.
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[susandennis]

Well, ya gotta know that little comment sure made my day! Thanks!

[edbook.livejournal.com]

one of my housemates in college (60's) was hired by IBM as an intern for the summer and they sent him a (large) clothing stipend (sp?) and a booklet of the types and colors to buy... dark blue suits, blue or red ties (stripes of course) blue and grey pants, white and light blue long sleeved shirts...
When he returned in the fall, he said they even told him how to have his hair cut...
(he mentioned that that someone told him he should dye the streak of white hair (one of those inherited conditions) black because it drew too much attention.

Peace