All Of them Have Shortcomings

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I don't think people complain enough as why are businesses allowed to get away with a shoddy service? People tend to shy away from complaining which is making things 10x worse for everyone else.

One thing I have learnt this week is that the word "service" has disappeared completely. Today is day 6 of trying to get our internet back up and running yet we have been lied to constantly by 3 different companies. They are quick to take your money and then make you wait as they honestly don't care.

South Africa has not had much competition when it comes to the service side of things unlike other countries. The essentials like water and electricity you have a choice of one provider and there aren't a host of different offerings. It seems the internet provides have taken on the same caliber of staff who are clueless yet I also blame the BEE for forcing companies to employ certain numbers according to skin colour. Not everyone can answer a phone or deal with customers yet we have to leave people we know who could, just to play a number game.

I honestly cringe at some of the individuals we had and it is not just a case of replacing them if they aren't up to the job. The employment laws make it so difficult once they are on your books to off load them. I must have spoken to over 40 different people over the last few days trying to get a straight answer of why something so simple takes so long.

I wonder how many others have just given up and sit back and just accept the situation. As a customer one should never have to take that kind of service as there are 100's of providers yet they are all the same. The next internet service I have will most definitely not be in this country if I can help it as going through this process again is just not worth the trouble.

If you are going to invest in anything in Africa I suggest anything service related you stay well away from as there is no such thing. The small companies that handle everything themselves is the only way and why I am on my lonesome in Johannesburg as I could not stomach the issues of staff. The reality is you end up doing everything yourself most times as at least you know the job is done to your standards.

Over the last year I have realised that maybe I was looking at this whole thing the wrong way. Yes there is corruption in the bigger companies but companies not as big taking 9 months to secure a contract is purely down to whoever is in charge is not up to it. They are lazy and don't give a toss as it is just a job with no real care in the world.

When I handled buying for my last company I was on top of everything knowing the best prices for those products we used. I had it down to a fine art cutting out all the middlemen and at one point could supply people who were trying to sell me the same product cheaper than what they were buying it for. I have a knack for figures and can work things out instantly whether it is a good or bad deal whilst the person is still talking to me. They don't know that and was one of the reasons I was so successful at it.

I look at the amount of staff these companies have and how much dead wood is there who aren't actually helping the process of moving to the next level. I have spoken to 40 individuals this week and possibly,just possibly maybe one would stand out. As an investor I would run a mile away from them as at some point they will run into trouble and will have to change the company name or ownership due to the amount of complaints.

A good business should see the complaints as a positive as you can find so much out about how a company is being run. I used to spend time in the call center as then I know how good or bad things were. Bad things you can fix and improve on immediately. I know owners of companies who don't want to hear the problems, but only solutions which is not the right attitude to have as they need to be on the ground handling their problems. If they don't understand they will just keep on repeating the same scenario.



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6 comments
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One complaint can be a nasty person bit multiple complaints means there are issues. It should not take 40 people to help a customer. Most businesses have dropped their standards a lot these days. It is no longer about helping the customer but making as much profit as possible so low wages and limited staff. All about the bottom line.

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This is sadly true and the customers bear the brunt. Don't companies realise that maintaining their business relies on decent staffing.

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Hiring practices are a huge problem in service and in many places, they take who will do the job, not who can do the job. Part of the reason is of course salary, but in my opinion, if you have a job that you are getting paid for, do the job well.

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I agree with you on this as otherwise what is the point. The lady that helped us get back up and running was 4 days to late even though I appreciate her stepping in. Just do things right from the start and solve problems as they appear. Need to catch up on your posts as haven't seen how that meeting went with the one you thought might not end up well.

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They should have the power to bring authority in earlier - but some companies discourage this and instead get everyone frustrated.

The session last week went well enough - but it was incredibly draining on me both in the lead up and especially the delivery. The customer didn't realize though :)

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That is good to hear as it puts your reputation on the line which is a bit unfair. Pressure can bring out the best in us as long as it isn't a regular occurrence as you discover things about yourself.

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