urn:uuid:9b72f706-9d32-6418-c379-13f180ddd264 http://gethuman.com/blog/atom http://gethuman.com/images/gethuman-hands50.gif urn:uuid:e8328eab-d35a-4800-6fd6-ba19ce72c86e 2010-07-28T13:05:46+00:00

GetHuman.com. Either way, we wanted to pass on the list to you the readers.

No. 1: Autos. Car-related complaints were also the No. 1 spot in 2008. Among the frustrations: misrepresenting vehicles for sale; lemons; faulty repairs; leasing and towing disputes.

No. 2: Credit/Debt. Billing and fee disputes; mortgage-related fraud; credit repair; debt-relief services; predatory lending; illegal or abusive debt collection tactics.

No. 3: Home improvement/Construction. Shoddy work; failure to start or complete the job.

No. 4: Utilities. Service problems or billing disputes with phone, cable, satellite, Internet, electric and gas services.

No. 5: Retail sales. False advertising and other deceptive practices; defective merchandise; problems with rebates, coupons, gift cards and gift certificates; failure to deliver. No. 6: Services. Misrepresentations; shoddy work; failure to have required licenses; failure to perform.

No. 7: Internet sales. Misrepresentations or other deceptive practice; failure to deliver online purchases.

No. 8: Household goods. Misrepresentations; failure to deliver; faulty repairs in connection with furniture or appliances.

No. 9 (tie): Landlord/Tenant. Unhealthy or unsafe conditions; failure to make repairs or provide promised amenities; deposit and rent disputes; illegal eviction tactics.

No. 9 (tie): Home solicitations. Misrepresentations or failure to deliver in door-to-door, telemarketing or mail solicitations; do-not-call violations.

No. 10: Health products/services. Misleading claims; unlicensed practitioners; failure to deliver.

For the full article of the Top Ten Consumer Complaints, Click Here. ]]>

urn:uuid:22de02d4-4465-ab1c-d094-67bc33d8f8bd 2010-07-23T13:46:36+00:00

GetHuman.com love to keep our readers updated on the most recent customer service news. However, we also realize that sometimes there just isn't that much to report. Good or bad, companies do not always have the most interesting news. That being said, we are going to launch a new weekly recap of the week's customer service events. The space is tentatively called the "Weekly Customer Service Mashup", but we're open to suggestions for the name. If you have a suggestion, please let us know in our Feedback section.

Onto the news:

Apple: In response to "Antennagate", Apple has pulled all of the rubber bumpers from the stores as it braces to give the bumpers away for free. Steve Jobs, realizing the iPhone4 may have a design flaw, has prepared the company to give away the rubber bumpers, as a solution to the problem. The give away could cost the company $175 million according to some estimates. Click the link for more.

AT&T: AT&T has experienced a jump in subscribers due to businesses adapting the iPad 3G as possible replacements to laptops. The company added between 400,000 and 500,000 subscribers during Q2 as many businesses try the new iPad as a possible replacement. Click the link for more

Google: In the same survey that saw Facebook come in last in customer service, Google lead all online search engines with a score of 80 out of 100. Newly launched Bing from Microsoft wasn't far behind with a score of 77. For more survey results, click here

Top Online Retailers: The best online retailers according to StellaService have begun displaying a seal of approval from the company, marking their excellent customer service reputations. Readers should keep their eyes open for the mark of excellence on companies such as 1-800-FLOWERS.COM(R) Abt.com, BikeTiresDirect.com, DrsFosterSmith.com, EliteCarSeats.com, JR.com, MusiciansFriend.com, Ross-Simons.com, ShoeBuy.com, TriSports.com. Click here for more

Let us know what you think of the new space! ]]>

urn:uuid:4d49201d-351f-5f0a-134a-4973951f614f 2010-07-22T00:43:59+00:00

GetHuman.com users already know, Facebook, despite all the rave reviews and the $1 billion valuation, recently came in last for customer service for social media and e-business companies. In the most recent American Customer Satisfaction Index, Facebook received a score of 64 out of 100, on par with the airlines and the cable companies...the worst offenders of poor customer service. While the poor score is no surpirse to readers of this space, the company that conducted the survey, ForSee Results, was able to not only inform the company of it's poor result, but they were also able to get a quote from the company. That's no small feat for any person who has ever tried to get an answer from Facebook.

According to the unnamed Facebook representative, when asked for a response to the company's poor result, he claimed "We haven't reviewed the survey methodology in detail, but clearly we have room to improve. Building a simple, useful service is the best way to earn and sustain the trust people put in us. That's why we spend so much of our time and energy focused on improving the products we offer and introducing new ones. We look forward to the next survey." Um, hey buddy, room to improve? How about not adding new applications or improving the existing ones and oh I don't know, adding a phone number that people can call when they need an answer? Right now Facebook has canned online responses where customers can choose to solve their problem from a list of frequently asked questions. Unfortunately, if the answer is not in one of the drop down menus and you need to contact the company, you are out of luck. One of the biggest complaints we get is about a lack of response from Facebook.

The good news is that the company is becoming more aware that while the current valuation is nice, in a company where the product is driven by people, if those people are unsatisfied, they will go elsewhere. Clearly the current setup in the customer service department is not working for Facebook, so hopefully now that the company is more aware, they'll begin focusing on the customers needs and will clean up what is one of the worst customer service departments that we recieve requests and complaints about. As we've seen in other fields, companies are becoming more aware of the impact of effective customer service, and are choosing to invest more money in them to retain happy customers, and for a while it appeared that Facebook just did not care. Hopefully this is the dawning of a new day for the company.

To read more about the recent survey, urn:uuid:7343356e-e16c-d87f-c4be-3d54b0318f45 2010-07-13T14:44:06+00:00

American Express was recently released, and good news GetHuman.com users, your voices are making an impact. The American Express Customer Service Barometer claims that during these hard economic times, customers such as yourselves are more focused on receiving great customer service and will spend up to 9% more if they believe they are receiving superior customer service. Other highlights of the report are:

-A little more than a third of Americans (37 percent) believe that companies have increased their focus on providing quality service

-27 percent feel businesses have not changed their attitude toward customer service.

-28 percent say that companies are now paying less attention to good service.

What's really interesting is customers feel that companies take their business for granted, and do not do enough to retain their services. I can say personally that our users feel the same way. It's a simple concept if you think about it. Provide a solid customer experience, and customers are more likely to return for future purchases. What's even more interesting is the report claims that customers are more likely to talk about a positive experience than they are a negative experience. The good news is the American Express report will hopefully provide some guidance to larger corporations and allow them to realize that customer service representatives are an asset to every firm and should be viewed as an investment expense in the firm and not a cost. Like any investment, there's a possibility of a high return, and the American Express report confirms that.

In the end, customers should feel like their voices are being heard. While large corporations are often slow to react to customer's needs, the good news is that when times are tough and will so much negative data surrounding the customer service department, companies will begin looking at their business from the top down, and for once, customer service can not being ignored. For more on the report, Click Here. ]]>

urn:uuid:291ff8de-0abe-dd09-ea20-2d3454352625 2010-07-09T13:45:50+00:00

Apple issued a response to the glitch in the iPhone, and offered a sound reasoning for the phone's problems - the signal bar was showing the wrong amount of bars. Below is the letter:

Dear iPhone 4 Users,

The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple’s history. It has been judged by reviewers around the world to be the best smartphone ever, and users have told us that they love it. So we were surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and we immediately began investigating them. Here is what we have learned.

To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.

At the same time, we continue to read articles and receive hundreds of emails from users saying that iPhone 4 reception is better than the iPhone 3GS. They are delighted. This matches our own experience and testing. What can explain all of this?

We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising.

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.

To fix this, we are adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2 and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.

We will issue a free software update within a few weeks that incorporates the corrected formula. Since this mistake has been present since the original iPhone, this software update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.

We have gone back to our labs and retested everything, and the results are the same— the iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. For the vast majority of users who have not been troubled by this issue, this software update will only make your bars more accurate. For those who have had concerns, we apologize for any anxiety we may have caused.

As a reminder, if you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

We hope you love the iPhone 4 as much as we do.

Thank you for your patience and support.

Apple

Full Text at apple.com ]]>

urn:uuid:d3dcde95-e5dc-6c2d-1c37-e8caa65c95f0 2010-07-08T14:10:30+00:00

Flip Video customer service department. Recently, my Flip Video camera stopped turning on or charging, so naturally, like any other consumer, I contacted the Flip Video customer service department. These guys have it figured out. Not only was the process of solving my problem easy to do, but, every complaint that is filed is answered within four hours. After several back and forths with the service representatives offering various suggestions, it was determined that my camera was no longer working. Under normal circumstances, the Flip Video cameras have a 90 day warranty, and as this camera was a gift, I was unable to produce the evidence of how long I have had the camera, but it was well outside of the warranty time. This did not matter to the customer service representatives. After apologizing profusely for any inconvenience I may have had, the company offered to replace my camera, free of charge, and would also pay for the shipping. Unreal.

This folks, is how it should be done. Under most circumstances, a company dealing with a defective product would stand by their warranty, and at best, would offer to sell you a replacement product at a reduced price. Not in this case with Flip Video. Not only were they overly understanding of the problem and very sympathetic to my case in offering various solutions to the problem, they offered to replace it and pay for shipping, no other questions asked. It's a simple model. Stand behind the product you produce, and don't irk your customers when the products do not work. It should be noted that Flip Video is owned by Cisco, and as is the case, it is even more amazing that such a large company would stand behind their product, and replace it free of charge. Hopefully other will take note. Well done Flip Video. ]]>

urn:uuid:590e5d7a-9986-fc36-c9bc-c347075ba671 2010-06-29T15:08:51+00:00

Microsoft Product Support took a shot at Google yesterday, Microsoft Product Support claiming it provides better product support than Google's online applications site. The argument essentially boils down to Microsoft Product Support claiming the company easily be reached by phone, online support, as well as through various deployment technologies for enterprises, while also claiming Google is hardly accessible, and is only reachable for paying customers. No matter which side of the argument you fall on, the end result means one thing, better customer service.

Unlike in the past when we have used this space to argue against consolidation as it means worse customer service for us all, now we have the opposite. Quite simply, competition means each company has to focus on providing the best overall experience to the customer as there's an increased chance the customer will switch services. It also works out nicely that the two company's mentioned are engaged in a high stakes game of poker, as there are billions of dollars at stake as the argument essentially revolves around Microsoft's main source of revenue, Office 2010. Google is desperately trying to take market share away from it's chief competitor, so look for the company to respond with better customer service, and a better overall customer experience. With no imminent ending in site, look for the company's to continue to try and one up each other in the coming months, but most of all, let us know if you notice a better cheat, or have a particularly good or bad experience with either company.

For more on the battle that is brewing between these two tech giants, Click Here. ]]>

urn:uuid:2c55c55a-3e00-4fcf-d4fd-04ce18982b29 2010-06-25T14:06:07+00:00

Apple representatives are telling customers to simply wait a few days to see if the problems resolve themselves. About 50 people reported problems on the first day the phone was available to the public. The most frequent complaint from customers was from yellow blotches or streaks on the screen, or white blotches. Apple representatives, after first offering replacement phones to customers, have now changed their tone, and are telling customers to wait a few days to see if the problem resolves itself. The culprit, according to the company, is glue used in the manufacturing process, and apparently the problem dissipates over time.

A second problem customers have with the remarkable new phone is an antenna issue. Customers have reported a decrease in the phones reception when their finger is placed over a certain gap on the metal band around the phone. In typical Apple fashion, while the company has not issued a formal statement acknowledging the problem, representatives and users are suggesting everything from holding the phone differently, to buying the iPhone bumper for the outside, to simply placing Scotch Tape over the gap.

GetHuman.com users? Anyone experiencing problems with the new iPhone4? Has anyone had any luck talking to the Apple customer service representatives? As always, if you have any comments you would like to send along, please let us know in our Feedback section. For more on possible solutions to the newest iPhone minor glitches, Click Here. ]]>

urn:uuid:8705ccee-d362-44dd-b818-9e6d33fda78e 2010-06-21T17:26:18+00:00

Facebook/Paypal accounts have been hacked, and then want to know what they can do to fix it. We'll save the commentary about how terrible Facebook's customer service department (or lack thereof) is, and instead we'll pass on this helpful link. The link provides tips and directions on how to contact the company to fix your account, if it has in fact been hacked. As always, if you have a helpful tip you would like to pass along to us, or have a more efficient way of getting in touch with one of these customer service departments, feel free to send us the link so we can update the database. Helpful Link for Hacked Accounts ]]>

urn:uuid:4880a36a-e3c4-38a8-fa10-302ecc00d1a4 2010-06-17T15:31:09+00:00

CIGNA have recently been focusing on their customer service, in an effort to better position themselves for 2014, when the new health-reform law goes into effect in the US. Companies such as CIGNA are opening retail stores in an effort to reach out to customers, and they are also closely monitoring customer service calls, focusing directly on negative comments from customers. Such efforts come ahead of 2014 when millions of dollars worth of potentially insured customers will be up for grabs as the US government will mandate health care coverage from private companies like CIGNA. Analyst estimates claim some 24 million Americans will need to decide on a private health care company/coverage by 2019 as customers with too much income will no longer be able to accept Medicaid, and will be fined if they do not have health care coverage.

Say what you want about whether or not the government has the right to mandate customers to buy health care coverage, but from a customer service stand point, this is a good thing. Most health care companies are very profit conscious, and realize there is a huge potential for them to expand profits in the coming years, and the only way to do that will be by providing sound health care options to customers. It will truly be one of the first times in recent years where the power will lie with the customer, and companies are, and will, have to do everything in their power to not only gain new customers, but keep existing customers from leaving to a better experience at another provider. With companies such as CIGNA focusing on customer service, readers should expect to see shorter wait times, friendlier customer service representatives, and hopefully companies that will bend over backwards to make sure you the customer have everything that you need.

For more on the changes coming to health insurer coverage under the new health-reform law, Follow the link. ]]>