How to Successfully Lose Customers
Thursday, May 8th, 2008A few days ago I read the results of a consumer survey on retail stores; it wasn’t pretty. From dirty, unorganized shops, empty shelves, rude and uncaring employees, to bad return policies, out-dated merchandise, poor quality and major over pricing - people aren’t happy.
I now get to add to that list with a personal experience from May 5th, 2008.
I have been a loyal Kohl’s customer for over 9 years; a Kohl’s credit card user for 8 years. I’ve sung their praises all this time! Most of my family and friends are also Kohl’s customers.
–On a side note, they too have slid this past year or so in the public ranking. No longer are they the innovative, successful favorite. The Kohl’s closest to me I try to avoid because it always looks like a bunch of hyperactive 3rd-graders just tossed the place! –
Anyway I had an extremely frustrating phone call with them - it was the perfect example of telling your customer they don’t matter. Period.
I had downloaded my current statement and saw that they charged me $25 bounced check fee for my last payment.
1. I have automatic overdraft coverage on all my bank accounts
2. It was an online payment - so the “check” couldn’t have bounced
3. The payment was covered according to my online banking information
The representative I talked with couldn’t help me and had to keep putting me on hold. — Another side note here, she was very good at her job. Polite, respectful and the patience of saint in dealing with me, as I was plainly getting more upset as time progressed. I asked to have the call escalated and she immediately attempted to do that. Her current shift supervisor refused to talk with me.
So I reiterated to the representative that the supervisor was refusing to talk to a customer - I wanted to be very clear that that was what I had heard. A Kohls credit card customer since 2000 with an excellent payment record was having a supervisor refuse to help sort out the problem.
Yes, that was correct.
To say I was pretty much beyond furious at this point would have been an understatement; if I had been an animation, steam would have been coming out of my ears.
Eventually the representative did get the supervisor a Sxxxx Sxxxxxx at extension XXXX, to take the call - as she obviously reminded her that: ALL CALLS ARE RECORDED. And I had in fact confirmed on this recorded call that this shift supervisor was refusing my request to escalate/take the phone call.
While on hold I got online and pulled all the necessary corporate names: CEO, President and three Senior Vice-Presidents. The representative provided the addresses for the credit building and corporate offices; I had already researched that, but she of course didn’t know.
When this supervisor finally took the call:
- I thanked her for putting her employee in such an un-winnable position
- For treating the customer that badly and
- For now losing a long-time customer.
I also explained I would be filing a formal complaint with the corporate office about the entire situation.
I closed my credit card account effective immediately.
If I treated my customers like that, I wouldn’t have any. It doesn’t matter that I was a small customer - I was a loyal, long-time customer.
If this is how Kohl’s feels about their customers, I’d rather not be one.
