Case: The Disgruntled Customer

The Disgruntled Customer

It was 8:30 A.M. Friday morning when Brenda received the voice mail. It was Susan Swanson, owner of a small architecture firm, who Brenda had acquired as a customer nearly three months ago. “I’m finished with you all,” she barked. “Come get my copier, I want my money back! This blasted machine you sold me keeps jamming. I was billed for extra toner that I never received. You promised me training, and I have yet to see any. And, this machine is much slower than I thought it would be. I don’t see how your company stays in business. I knew I should have gone with Xerox!”

It’s true, Brenda had told Susan that she would provide training on how to use some of the new advanced features of the copier. She had neglected to get back to Susan and since she had not heard from Susan she assumed Susan no longer desired the training. As for the paper jams, Brenda found this to be unusual. NCC carried high-quality copiers and she could not imagine what might be wrong. She was sure she had told Susan the specific type of paper to use for her application. However, using the wrong paper could lead to more frequent paper jams. But why hadn’t Susan said anything to her about this sooner? As for the extra toner, Brenda recalls that Susan did order it and later contacted her to let her know that she did not receive it. Brenda then contacted NCC’s shipping department who said they would ship Susan the product. Brenda just assumed that it was shipped. As for the speed of the machine, Brenda was certain its output was per specifications as equipment at NCC must pass strict quality-control measures. Perhaps Susan simply misunderstood the machine’s capabilities. Wow, Brenda thought, now what am I going to do?

Questions

How should Brenda go about handling this complaint?

What could Brenda have done to avoid this incident?

What steps can Brenda take to do a better job of maintaining open, two-way communication with Susan?

Assuming that Brenda can retain Susan as a customer, how can she add value to her relationship with Susan’s firm?