How hard is good customer service?

[peteinct]

Hi everybody, I was reading some threads here about retail transactions namely Eric the holster maker and Bearcoat the "refinisher". In Eric's case he admitted he made a mistake and apologised and offered to refund peoples money without too much fuss. Bearcoat seemed to go out of its way to avoid making its customer happy.

How hard is it to treat a customer reasonably well? I know that craftmanship can take time and unforseen things can happen to a small shop. I don't need the lowest price but a decent one, I just need a commitment to have something completed at a certain date and communication if something is messed up.

I will never use bearcoat but may buy a CZ holster from Eric based on the threads here. There internet makes our shoooting community smaller like a bunch of people on an old party line and I figure there are plenty of people to take my business to that have good customer service.

I work in a big place and I know we have different problems than a small shop. I have also worked in retail which over the course of one "holiday" season made me really dislike some customers and change jobs.

Is good customer service too hard or expensive for modern business?

pete

 

[keyhole]

Nah, just some seem to forget how to treat others. Problem is that they hang around others like them selves, and no one sees a problem with that. Good customer service will go a long way, and have a long lasting impression to those who really appreciate it. Repeat customers, bring others. Had a bad dealing with a mail order company, and when I called the customer service rep the following Monday, he just agreed with the rep I had initially delt with.

 

[BADUNAME4]

Good customer service makes life easier for everyone. Some companies just truly don't care. Exceptional companies are determined by how they handle exceptions and I'll be ordering an IWB tuckable holster from Eric ( www.hbeleatherworks.com ) as soon as I find the Kahr MK9 that I'm looking for. I like "You're Our Bottom Line" as a company slogan.

 

[FNFiveSeven]

I've had some excellent experiences

The whole RMA/Bearcoat thing was my only really bad experience with customer service. I've received some of the best customer service in my life from gun makers and gunsmiths, especially from the following folks, who have gone above and beyond the call of duty:

HS Precision
Advanced Barrel Systems (Mike is a great guy)
Precision Reflex Inc.
Para Ordnance
Bushmaster

 

[Standing Wolf]

Is good customer service too hard or expensive for modern business?

Good customer service pays for itself many times over.

I've recently switched groceries. One of the deciding factors is that the cashier at my new store empties the cart for me. I'm sure that's trivial to most people, but when you're contending with arthritis, it can make a noticeable difference.

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

Customer service is like training--if you think it's expensive, try doing without it.

A surly employee who works cheap will cost a lot in the long run. (One of these days Wal-Mart is going to figure this out.)

 

[Justin]

I think you run the risk of bad customer service with any small and specialized undertaking. Just because someone is a good gunsmith doesn't mean he is a good businessman.

 

[P95Carry]

If anyone wants to see real customer service then consider getting a Rohrbaugh R9. A very expensive gun I grant you, and the company is small as yet. But - the customer service from Eric is second to none - he is probably one of the few people I know who squeezes 36 hours into a 24 hour day - and still finds (makes!) time to deal with his customers, personally.

Any omission in dealing with a query is only due to oversight, overwork - but never dismissal.

 

[DigMe]

I think bad customer service comes from lack of humility (also known as pride) and stubborness. Some people refuse to take any position in which they are apologizing because that makes them publicly admit that they made a mistake and they just can't handle that. Maybe they are scared that it makes them look weak...which in itself is a weakness.

Gunner's Alley is another place that doesn't suffer from that and will always give you good service. They realize that mistakes can be made but they will always make it right.

brad cook