We’ve all been there. You have a problem and you want the customer service representative to make it better and, as with most computer products or electronic devices, the after-sales service is rarely up to the mark.

Keeping in line with this month’s special Halloween feature (page 104), let me share with you my personal customer support nightmare. It all began a couple of months ago, following a mysterious outbreak of dark blotches on my laptop’s LCD after just a few months of having purchased the system. As the warranty period was still valid, the machine was duly taken back to the sales outlet where it was simply shrugged off as a case of damage-inflicted-by-the-customer issue. How does one beat such an attitude? The once-attentive sales staff refused to adhere to the warranty claims. Further attempts to communicate with the laptop’s manufacturers via e-mail resulted in all messages bouncing back to my mailbox. Meanwhile the blemishes, typical of a leaky LCD, continued to grow in size and number, as valuable time was lost trying to locate an authorised after-sales support centre for the laptop. Once a suitable outlet was found, the support staff again conveniently cited the damage-inflicted-by-the-customer argument instead of rectifying the problem. Their verbal assurances to follow the issue up with the manufacturer’s regional head office remain unsubstantiated to date.

As I type this text, trying to peer through the offending, obstructive spots on the screen, I can’t help but think how companies are forgetting that it’s easier to have existing customers coming back for more products and services. Instead, their focus remains on getting new customers. No matter how grand a product or a brand’s marketing campaign may be and, irrespective of the number of press releases shoved at various media outlets extolling the virtues of the product, word-of-mouth recommendations based on user experience and viral marketing play an all-important role in sales. Shoddy after-sales service can be the crucial factor in not being able to retain an existing customer/user-base and, a customer once lost, is lost forever.
— R.S