So I went online with the intention of paying a very respectable sum of money on a present for a friend of mine. We haven't seen each other for a couple of years, and I felt like getting him something nice for once. I did a google search for my desired product and looked over the matches. The highest ranking site, a very well known and respectable one, was no surprise. So I decided to click and give them my money. After searching their site, I found exactly what I wanted easily enough. Then I started the buying process. I put the product in my cart and proceeded to check out. At the check out I began filling in the necessary forms of information, but was slightly displeased to find they didn't exactly suit my place of residence. It was a big American company, this I knew, but the product was Canadian, and the site advertised itself as one for Canadians. So I looked around for a while and tried to figure out how to enter my information without a zip code or home 'state'. I really liked the product. I really wanted it. It was perfect. I looked around the site. I went to their information page, I came back and started the process again a couple of times. By now I was becoming reasonably annoyed. Sure, there's no problem if you're an American, but what about the rest of the world? The product, I must say, was related to hockey, and there can't be a bigger audience for that than in Canada. I know people overseas use this company as well, but I now wonder - how?
So anyway, I finally gave up. I went back to step one - google - found another company, farther down the search listings, and tried it out. This time there was no problem. They seemed happy to take my money, and I was also happy to give it to them. Though I've never heard of their company before, their site was much easier to use, and they also had exactly what I wanted.
So how could this problem have been avoided (assuming the big company cares enough to avoid it)? First of all thinking about people from outside your country. If you're on the net, you're opening up new opportunities for expansion. Now, assuming they had thought about this and I, stupid hockey puckhead that I am, simply couldn't figure it out - they need to make it easier for me to figure it out. Some stupid puckheads also have money to throw around from time to time. But it has to be easier. Either by having clear information on a FAQ page - which they didn't - or having some kind of online service, like an instant phone I could call, or someone to ask via chat. Because there was no way I was going to write them and ask them and then wait a couple days while I could just go to another site and order it, which I did, right then.
But who knows, maybe at the end of the day they simply don't need all the sales they can get.....yeah, right. I'm now waiting to watch the company slowly go under. With customer service like that it's inevitable. If I had stocks I'd be selling them right now. I say this not out of anger or as a joke, it is simply a fact - you must prepare for situations like this, or, in tough economic times, you will not be able to stay on top.
As for the instant phone and other customer service options, Bloomland has some, I recommend getting in touch to find out....
http://www.bloomland.com/services/support
