{rant & rave}

a customer service story


Of course, YOU, my faithful readers, know that I'm not usually one to use my blog to rant and rave, but I suppose I can make an exception now and again --- and uh, nope, not asking permission...it's my blog! :) (I know, I know famous last words of a blogger!)


To give a little background reading, you might be interested in reading a couple of posts from one of the blogs I read regularly (No Debt Plan): Why Smart Companies React Quickly Online and 3 Tips to Using Social Media to Get Customer Service Satisfaction.


here's my personal testimony


As you know, my mom had a birthday this week. To celebrate the big day, I really wanted to go home for a visit and help blow out her candles, but since I'm on a self-inflicted travel restriction (I'm sure I'll blog about this at some point in the future), I couldn't go as I would have liked. In place of a visit, I used a Groupon + some additional funds to order a bouquet of flowers in a square vase, and of course, you already read my two "Happy Birthday" posts here and here. I'll let my email/fb post to FTD explain my dissatisfaction. 

My 1st and 2nd Contact (email and fb)

"Saw this email address on your twitter page. hope you can help...Thank you for the prompt delivery of the $50 Pink Lily Bqt for my mom's 60th birthday (+1). I really wanted it to be special for her but all she got were a handful of lily's (-1) and a pink vase. The picture showed a clear vase which is what I would have preferred (-1). Those two negatives make the total not in your favor, FTD. So for me, that means I don't think the $$ was worth the product received. Very disappointed and will probably not use your service again. I also posted this on your FB page..."

FTD's 1st Response (phone)

Voice message left on phone (this was within an hour or so after I submitted my email/fb message) by Gregory. 

He indicate he would like to help resolve my concerns and that he would be sending an email asking when would be a good time to call. (No phone number or extension given to call him back)

FTD's 2nd Response (email)

From Gregory:

"I have received your concern regarding the quality of your gift to Terry Flaming, and would like to sincerely apologize that we failed to deliver an arrangement as you had intended. I can only imagine how upset you were, and would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you at your convenience. Is there a number and a good time that I may do so? I look forward to hearing from you. Regards, Gregory (FTDs customer service phone number was given, but no direct extension."

My 4th Contact (email)

"I appreciate the email and am sorry I missed your call. Generally I can be reached during the day after 8am and before 8pm at 763-464-1475. Thank you."

FTD's 3rd Response

I missed a call on my cell phone. No message left.

My 3rd and 4th Contact (phone and email)

"I missed your call this morning and when I tried to call you back, I was on hold for 15 min and was not helped. This was very disconcerting and does not add any credibility to your customer service team's ability to handle complaints. The person's name who was not very helpful was Kim. When I first called and gave her my order # she started reading to herself (but out loud) the notes on her screen about this order#. I couldn't make out all the words as she seemed to be mumbling somewhat. Then she put me on hold for a while and when she finally came back on the line. She said that you had been calling to check to see if my order was OK and that was it. I said my order was not OK and that's why you [Gregory] had been calling me. She seemed confused by this and then said she need to put me on hold again. I waited a little bit, but by this time needed to attend to something else so I hung up. While I was on hold I also received another email from FTD offering to assist me, so I'm copying that person on this email."

FTD's 5th Response (phone)

Not long after I sent the above email, I received a call from the 2nd FTD customer service person who emailed me. He was very helpful and apologetic for the arrangement not being to my satisfaction. He quickly established that he would be refunding me for the entire amount that I paid plus refund me the Groupon. In addition to the refund, he also indicated he would be sending out an "apology" arrangement to my recipient and it would be delivered on Tuesday.

FTD's 6th and 7th Response (phone and email)

A phone message and a follow up email below from Gregory

"I’m sorry I was not available to take your call when you had called us this morning. I have reviewed your order and show that a colleague of mine Damon had been working the order, I apologize that I was unsure if he had spoken with you directly. I do show that he had made arrangements for an apology floral order for your recipient at no charge to you for delivery on Tuesday 2/22. I also show that your order had been refunded in full. If you had any further questions please contact me via email with the best time to call you back and I will respond promptly. Sincerely, Gregory"

the rest of the story

There were two other responses attempted by FTD's customer service agent (Kim). That person called my mom and then left a voice message on my phone. The message was hard to understand as there was more mumbling, but I was given direction to call "ftd.com" (like that was the phone number!).

What? you say. Where's the raving that was promised at the beginning of the post!! When it's all said and done, I'm a happy customer. And well, folks, that's about the extent of my raving. 

Will I use there service again? Meh, we'll see...OK yeah, probably just to redeem my Groupon and that will be it. Bottom line for me is that they charge a lot of money for a little product. 

I was discussing this with a co-worker and we concluded that if I had called into customer service first and not posted on fb or sent an email, this most likely would have resulted in a "thank you for letting us know, ma'am."

how have you used social media to get customer satisfaction? 

If you made it to the end of this post, you are to be congratulated!! I think this is a record post for me - most words used in a single post!!!