Comments on: Don’t abuse your best customers Part I: Amazon Case Study http://collaborationevangelist.com/2008/11/11/dont-abuse-your-best-customers-part-i-amazon-case-study/ Craig Underwood's blog about Web 2.0, loyalty and customer service Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:51:28 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Henry Hutton http://collaborationevangelist.com/2008/11/11/dont-abuse-your-best-customers-part-i-amazon-case-study/comment-page-1/#comment-18 Henry Hutton Wed, 12 Nov 2008 03:09:56 +0000 http://collaborationevangelist.com/?p=309#comment-18 Hey Craig, I feel your pain. Amazon does so many things right that I was simply taken aback when they wouldn't replace, repair, or even throw me a bone with an upgrade discount for my broken Kindle. Nor would they refund subscriptions or books that I had recently purchased and not started reading. Mine fell out of (its somewhat shabby) holder while I was reading it in bed and broke. I was devastated that the screen was messed up and I couldn't use it--I really loved my Kindle--but I was even more shocked after a few disappointing calls and emails with Amazon's customer support. My particular Amazon customer support agent seemed genuinely frustrated that there was no real customer-focused solution to my problem, and said that this particular ultimatum came from the top. Needless to say, I was surprised. Apple, for example, provides a plan that has helped me replace two iPods in the last 3 years--and I would have happily purchased such a plan from Amazon if it had been offered. Now I'm saving up to buy a new Kindle, while hoping that they'll drop the price for the holidays. Either way, I'll never look at Amazon the same way again. Hey Craig, I feel your pain. Amazon does so many things right that I was simply taken aback when they wouldn’t replace, repair, or even throw me a bone with an upgrade discount for my broken Kindle. Nor would they refund subscriptions or books that I had recently purchased and not started reading.

Mine fell out of (its somewhat shabby) holder while I was reading it in bed and broke. I was devastated that the screen was messed up and I couldn’t use it–I really loved my Kindle–but I was even more shocked after a few disappointing calls and emails with Amazon’s customer support.

My particular Amazon customer support agent seemed genuinely frustrated that there was no real customer-focused solution to my problem, and said that this particular ultimatum came from the top. Needless to say, I was surprised. Apple, for example, provides a plan that has helped me replace two iPods in the last 3 years–and I would have happily purchased such a plan from Amazon if it had been offered. Now I’m saving up to buy a new Kindle, while hoping that they’ll drop the price for the holidays.

Either way, I’ll never look at Amazon the same way again.

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