Blog posts on bad customer service

Rss logo

Posts selected fromManagement Blog - Engineering Blog - Investing Blog and other blogs

  • Privacy Invasion as a Business Plan

    One of the worst behaviors by internet companies is to collect phone numbers in order to facilitate selling and integration of private information while pretending it is somehow a security issue. Though security experts all say using phone numbers for security adds security risks instead of using much more secure methods such as a security key. Companies that use deceptive security methods to collect phone numbers in order to sell the private information of their users make it very hard to trust what else they are doing.

    Twitter has long claimed a security reason to collect phone numbers [Twitter faces $250 million fine from the US FCC for these practices abusing the private information of users].

    continue reading: Privacy Invasion as a Business Plan

  • Customers Get Dissed and Tell

    There are those rare companies where interacting with them is not a dreaded experience: Trader Joe’s, Southwest Airlines, Ritz Carlton, Crutchfield...

    ...

    And then instead of fixing the system, just burn the toast (follow the link for an explanation). Then wait for those that get the burnt toast to tell everyone that you sold them burnt toast. Then, after they do that, go scrape it for them.

     

    continue reading: Customers Get Dissed and Tell

  • Stupid Bureaucratic Requirement

    Is it really unquestioningly doing whatever you are told that is the value that is what is being aimed for? Seems pretty clear to me from even this short article this teacher understands the constitution much better than most people and cares enough to take the values that constitution endorses seriously. While the government looks like they only care about getting their form on file and don’t care at all what the purpose of that form is (the purpose can’t really be just to coerce everyone to sign it, can it?).

    ...

    continue reading: Stupid Bureaucratic Requirement

  • Verizon Provides Lousy Service = Dog Bites Man

    It is obvious a few companies don’t have any ability to provide even just reasonably bad service (for them the goal of decent service is so far away as to not be reasonable). How often do Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner, AT&T, United… get blasted for horrible custom service?

    continue reading: Verizon Provides Lousy Service = Dog Bites Man

  • Not Exactly Lean Packaging

    Sadly not. What the überbox did contain was 16 smaller boxes “which in turn [each] contained (wrapped in foam so they wouldn’t get broken) exactly two sheets of A4 paper”

    It is hard to imagine what management system creates such solutions. But it is not hard to image Dilbert’s pointy haired boss fitting right in there. It also isn't surprising the incredibly poorly managed HP is responsible for this instance of idiocy.

    continue reading: Not Exactly Lean Packaging