That’s the impression I had recently when looking into ordering my contact lenses online. Usually I order contact lenses directly from my optometrist at Target Optical, but with the hopes of saving a few dollars this time around, I decided to research online options – and there are many. Surprisingly, most of the online suppliers quoted my contacts at more or less the same rate as Target, with the exception of one company. However, while I am not fearful of online ordering (I am a frequent online shopper), I always do my homework to see how other consumers have rated their experiences.
I had an easy time finding reviews for the company I researched, and while on average it was ranked favorably, I noticed a common and disturbing thread amongst the negative reviews. The company was responding publicly to some of its negative comments, not necessarily a bad thing, but in their replies the customer was always in the wrong. The company even went so far as to claim that one of the reviews was a hoax by another disgruntled customer using a false screen name.
While I daresay there are cases in which a customer may be making an unwarranted or unfair claim, any customer complaint should be addressed in a polite, professional manner, providing next steps for sideline follow-up and resolution. Through overtly defensive tactics going against the most basic rule of customer service – “the customer is always right” – this company lost my business before it had it. I guess I’m going back to Target.
[...] colleague, Heather Keroes, shared her negative customer service experience a few months ago. It resulted in her not doing business with the company. Given this outcome, an article in Ad Age [...]