Sometimes I run into a customer service whose attitude is arrogant. Their approach is we-know-best with a tone of and-this-is-going-to-cost. This happened to me recently but in my frustration I picked up on a trend that will change a company’s attitude to its customers.
Recently I opened the boot of our car to find the the well where the spare wheel sits was full of water. A bit of searching on the web identified the problem and armed with the information I contacted the dealership of a well known global car manufacturer to book it in for the repair. The dealership was about twenty miles away with next to no public transport. However, I was prepared to spend a few hours in the town while the repair work was being carried out. As I picked up the phone to book the car in for the repair I did a rough calculation for the part and the time it would take it to replace it and I arrived at a budget of between £60 to £80. But being fully aware that they can charge more to cover their overheads I was bracing myself for £100. But for that price I felt that the job would be done in a way that I wouldn’t have to return for follow up work ( yes - repair of a repair has happened a few times in my motoring career ). After reception passed me through to the service department I explained the problem and the work that I wanted them carry out but the conversation slewed in a totally different direction: “It will cost £168 for the first hour while we diagnose the problem then we will need to keep the car for three days while we test it by showering it with water to make sure that the leak has been repaired.” What! So I tried again but I got the same reply. After mumbling something along the lines of I needed time to think about it I put the phone down and took a deep breath.
I have come across this approach taken by the companies many times. The underlying assumption is that they know what needs to be done and that the product is so complex that they are the only people that know anything about it. In some instances I have to shrug my shoulders and agree particularly when it comes to electronics. But we are now in the age of the web where information is freely shared. There is usually a video that can give some insight into what a particular problem is and how it can be fixed. Many companies fail to realise that their customers are knowledgable about their products which makes them an “informed customer”.
There is nothing new in having informed customers. In my early days as a student trying to keep an ageing mini on the road with no money there was always a Hayes Manual, which gave step-by-step guidance to its repair and maintenance, and a box of tools by my side. The web has made more information available to tackle many problems from repairing domestic appliances to building houses.
With movements such as The Right to Repair there is a growing demand to be able to repair the products ourselves. Governments around the world are starting to put legislation in place such as: Right to Repair Regulations in the UK, Right to Repair in the EU and Fair Repair Act in the USA that will put pressure on manufactures to design into their products easier ways for their customers to repair their products.
After I put the phone down I searched on the web and ordered the part for £9. However, checking the various videos it was apparent that I had reached the level of my competence and I would have to invest in some specialist tools. Therefore I took it to my local garage, which is five minutes walk away, where they completed the repair for £30. The car boot is now bone dry.
With the information on the web being freely available on any subject that can be imagined then we are moving into an era of the “informed customer”. There will always be a requirement for expertise to repair products but with increasing pressure on living costs and reducing waste to save the planet then the customer doing their own repair work will increase. Companies that fail to pick up on this trend will be left behind and find themselves with silent phones in their customer service departments.