[rant] Why are companies thinking that it’s OK to trick their customers?
My PC has been sluggish lately. Since I do not have an IT department I looked for some online solutions to help me figure out what might be wrong with my system (I know that it is partly my fault as I keep downloading beta software that is really pre-alpha software)…
After (very little) research I decided to download the Uniblue Wintask Pro – which seemed to have received good reviews from sites that I trust (i.e., CNET). On top of that it came with free software that promised to speed up my PC – exactly what I was looking for. When I tried the Wintask Pro it did not seem to offer me much more than the Windows Task Manager – so I went for the free software that promised to solve my problem. The minute I launched the application it told me that there was an upgrade available, which I eagerly downloaded (yeah, yeah, in my multitasking way of doing things I am sure I missed some legal “fine print” in the process somewhere). After running the application’s diagnostic it came back with a whole bunch of issues related to my computer that needed to be “optimized” – which of course resulted in much optimism on my part that I would finally be able to solve my problem…
…except…the new version can only do diagnostics. If I want a version that actually fixes the problem I need to buy that one too…
How is that for misleading a newly minted customer who just dropped $50 on your solution?
I may spend another nanosecond or so to see how I can get my money back – since they have a big sign on their site claiming a money back guarantee – but do you think that I would ever recommend this company or buy from them again?
Marketing and customer service is not so complicated – it starts with common sense!
- Do not trick your customers
- Do not lie to you customers
- Do not mislead your customers
- Do not blame your customers – even if it is their fault
- Do not treat your customers as if they were stupid – even if they are
- Don’t assume that customers do not talk about their experiences with others
- And please, do not assume that customers have no memory
Oh, one more thing – Everett Rogers laid out a scientific approach to the principles of adoption of innovations (same as new products) back 40 years ago – this is not rocket science – it’s almost antique!
[/rant]
[Tags: customer service uniblue]
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