Then I got poor service

I reported recently the excellent customer service I received from DesignHouseUK, now I am sad to report that one of the biggest Internet retailers has failed to give me anything like decent service.

The company is Amazon. Now, I'm simply reporting what happened to me on this occasion and I am not passing comment on the company as a whole. In fact, until these recent orders I have always been happy with them. So what happened?

In November I ordered a book from Amazon as a birthday present. This was early November. By Early December I had received an email explaining there was a delay and they were expecting to dispatch the order between 12th and 18th December. The 18th rolled around and I got another email explaining they didn't know when the order would be fulfilled.

By this time the birthday was long gone, but still keen to buy the book I checked other sites and discovered, amongst those listing it, that it is out of print. Surely Amazon knew this and could have either removed the listing or listed it as out of print.

I guess no harm done, there were other presents and I'm not out of pocket. But then more recently I ordered a couple of books and started a trial account of Amazon Prime. I was told the books would be delivered by 17th December - the day after ordering. By the 22nd they had not been delivered so I emailed Amazon.

I wont paste the whole email but I will say that it was full of contradictions. In one paragraph I was told the order was still at their fulfillment centre. I guess that's a sort of warehouse and not a retreat centre in which products find fulfillment. A few paragraphs later the email informed that the items may be at my local Royal Mail Delivery Centre - how is that possible when they are still in the warehouse?

The email was clearly without specific reference t my problem, offered no help or compensation unlike DesigHouseUK. All of this led me to ponder why large companies think they can get away with poor service? Cases such as my Amazon order are rare with Amazon but when they do they should respond better.

Well, thats my updated over the festive period. I would like to wish you all the very best for 2009 and challenge you to set aims for the year now, think what you would like to write in Christmas letter next year and then figure out how to get there.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Well, the Christmas break is here and a well deserved rest is on the way.  I will be offline for most of the festive period enjoying family, friends, food and fine wine.

I just want to wish you all a great holiday and all the best for 2009.

The New Year will bring with it more of my thoughts on the way the world is, how we can all make it better as well as lots of techy thoughts on the latest project here in the office.

God bless you all.

I got great service

The one thing most people hate about this time of year is Christmas shopping. Too many people, too much to do and not enough time to do it. So, like many others, I turned to the Internet - shopping from my sofa with a coffee in hand and not a single perfume/aftershave spritzer in sight.

The down side to this is to guarantee delivery you need to be a bit more organised - Christmas Eve really is a no go.  With that in mind I set off to do my shopping in early December. I found what I wanted to get my bother-in-law and at a great price without having to fight off any old ladies. I ordered it and forgot about it. Until December 22nd.

On December 22nd I realised the item hadn't arrived and that I was now without a main present for my brother-in-law. I emailed the company and, to my shame, I was rather nasty. I didn't use capitals or red text but I was close. I think I half expected them to walk to my house, from where ever they are, and deliver the item in person. I was rude, demanding and not very nice.

The response I got was astounding. The company, Design House UK (eBay shop) emailed me back politely apologising for the problems, assuring me that the original item had been dispatched but that they would dispatch another one. However, as this was not going to get to me for Christmas they issued a full refund. So, from cursing their name and renouncing Internet shopping entirely (don't get me started on my recent Amazon experiences)  they have reconverted me to this wonderful way to shop.

This just shows that customer service works, it pays dividends, I recommend this company to anybody, I will look out for them again and use them in preference to anybody else.

first blog post!

Wow, this is it, my first blog post. What's it going to be about? Well the blog is going to cover everything from my life. So what does that cover:

1. Family
   
2. Friends
   
3. Faith
   
4. The Web
   
5. Databases
   
6. Technology
   
7. Mountain Biking
   
8. Hiking
   
9. Anything Else
   

It's eclectic; I'm into a lot of things and anyone who knows me will tell you that anything after number 6 can change as often as the weather. The first 6 are non-negotiable really, they have always been there and always will.

There wont be loads of pictures, there wont be loads of posts but I'll try to update weekly if I can.

So, with the introductions now over with what is the really about.

I was recently on the train - a 3 hour trip to attend a meeting and I had my laptop with me and I had a novel with me. With free wi-fi on trains these days I could have got onto the company network, done some more prep for the meeting, done some development work. A good use of 3 hours right?

No! I never work on trains, I mean never - never have and never will. I had a novel with me - Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince. So, settled in my seat, laptop safely in the luggage rack I pulled out the book and read. It was wonderful, peace, quiet and a relatively comfy seat meant that I could enjoy the book without interruption.

Some people see this as a waste of time but they are the sort of people who arrive at meetings tired and agitated and then they work at the meeting and on the way home. They get in grumpy and exhausted. I know this because I have friends like it. This situation seems much more wasteful to me.

I got to my meeting and was fresh and ready to go. I had a good meeting, and by the time I got home I had loads of energy for playing with the kids. 

So, next time you are on the train or the plane heading to a meeting don't work, the company is paying for you to rest and get recharged; they want the best from you in the meeting - make sure they get it.