Frustrated with Customers !
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This is just a rant. I provide a CD that I ship to customers to evaluate the software before buying. So it's a try before you buy thing. 30 days, no credit card required.Really, it's free to evaluate it. I have it clearly posted that there are NO refunds because of the try before you buy period but I do offer remote and email support for a full 90 days. Sounds fair to me. Still, occasionally I get people who email me at 5 minutes to midnight that if I don't help them in the next 30 minutes that they want a refund. By the time I see the email the next day it's long past that 30 minute window. I am nice. I offer to assist them. 9 times out of 10 that's all they want. But it irks me that they have to put in the "I will ask for a refund" statement before even giving me a chance to help them. I don't usually give refunds, but if I have a customer who is a real PITA or one that I know will become a PITA I sometimes do give them their money back, just not to have to deal with them. Also, they make these statements that " I can't download your software". When they mean "I can't get the program installed". They have the CD in hand, so downloading is not a problem. Sometimes they just mean that they are having a hard time getting it registered with the code I give them and OOOPS! they have the caps light on or some small issue. Sometimes they even have the wrong program installed and are trying to register the wrong one. Or they demand I call them, even though they know i don't have phone support. Remote yes, email yes. I have to explain to them that remote support is much better than phone support. I have used remote support and they think that the program files folder is in the control panel. So they keep installing and uninstalling the program over and over and over. Ok, rant over. :rolleyes:
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This is just a rant. I provide a CD that I ship to customers to evaluate the software before buying. So it's a try before you buy thing. 30 days, no credit card required.Really, it's free to evaluate it. I have it clearly posted that there are NO refunds because of the try before you buy period but I do offer remote and email support for a full 90 days. Sounds fair to me. Still, occasionally I get people who email me at 5 minutes to midnight that if I don't help them in the next 30 minutes that they want a refund. By the time I see the email the next day it's long past that 30 minute window. I am nice. I offer to assist them. 9 times out of 10 that's all they want. But it irks me that they have to put in the "I will ask for a refund" statement before even giving me a chance to help them. I don't usually give refunds, but if I have a customer who is a real PITA or one that I know will become a PITA I sometimes do give them their money back, just not to have to deal with them. Also, they make these statements that " I can't download your software". When they mean "I can't get the program installed". They have the CD in hand, so downloading is not a problem. Sometimes they just mean that they are having a hard time getting it registered with the code I give them and OOOPS! they have the caps light on or some small issue. Sometimes they even have the wrong program installed and are trying to register the wrong one. Or they demand I call them, even though they know i don't have phone support. Remote yes, email yes. I have to explain to them that remote support is much better than phone support. I have used remote support and they think that the program files folder is in the control panel. So they keep installing and uninstalling the program over and over and over. Ok, rant over. :rolleyes:
End users are idiots. Welcome to "the read world" (tm).
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997 -
This is just a rant. I provide a CD that I ship to customers to evaluate the software before buying. So it's a try before you buy thing. 30 days, no credit card required.Really, it's free to evaluate it. I have it clearly posted that there are NO refunds because of the try before you buy period but I do offer remote and email support for a full 90 days. Sounds fair to me. Still, occasionally I get people who email me at 5 minutes to midnight that if I don't help them in the next 30 minutes that they want a refund. By the time I see the email the next day it's long past that 30 minute window. I am nice. I offer to assist them. 9 times out of 10 that's all they want. But it irks me that they have to put in the "I will ask for a refund" statement before even giving me a chance to help them. I don't usually give refunds, but if I have a customer who is a real PITA or one that I know will become a PITA I sometimes do give them their money back, just not to have to deal with them. Also, they make these statements that " I can't download your software". When they mean "I can't get the program installed". They have the CD in hand, so downloading is not a problem. Sometimes they just mean that they are having a hard time getting it registered with the code I give them and OOOPS! they have the caps light on or some small issue. Sometimes they even have the wrong program installed and are trying to register the wrong one. Or they demand I call them, even though they know i don't have phone support. Remote yes, email yes. I have to explain to them that remote support is much better than phone support. I have used remote support and they think that the program files folder is in the control panel. So they keep installing and uninstalling the program over and over and over. Ok, rant over. :rolleyes:
Ha! Customers! Can't live with them, can't live without them! ;P
A train station is where the train stops. A bus station is where the bus stops. On my desk, I have a work station.... _________________________________________________________ My programs never have bugs, they just develop random features.
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Tech support: What’s on your monitor now, ma’am? Customer: A teddy bear my boyfriend bought for me at the 7-11. :laugh:
I know nothing , I know nothing ...
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This is just a rant. I provide a CD that I ship to customers to evaluate the software before buying. So it's a try before you buy thing. 30 days, no credit card required.Really, it's free to evaluate it. I have it clearly posted that there are NO refunds because of the try before you buy period but I do offer remote and email support for a full 90 days. Sounds fair to me. Still, occasionally I get people who email me at 5 minutes to midnight that if I don't help them in the next 30 minutes that they want a refund. By the time I see the email the next day it's long past that 30 minute window. I am nice. I offer to assist them. 9 times out of 10 that's all they want. But it irks me that they have to put in the "I will ask for a refund" statement before even giving me a chance to help them. I don't usually give refunds, but if I have a customer who is a real PITA or one that I know will become a PITA I sometimes do give them their money back, just not to have to deal with them. Also, they make these statements that " I can't download your software". When they mean "I can't get the program installed". They have the CD in hand, so downloading is not a problem. Sometimes they just mean that they are having a hard time getting it registered with the code I give them and OOOPS! they have the caps light on or some small issue. Sometimes they even have the wrong program installed and are trying to register the wrong one. Or they demand I call them, even though they know i don't have phone support. Remote yes, email yes. I have to explain to them that remote support is much better than phone support. I have used remote support and they think that the program files folder is in the control panel. So they keep installing and uninstalling the program over and over and over. Ok, rant over. :rolleyes:
Welcome to the wonderful world of Technical Support! :laugh: You always wondered: a) Why technical support people hate everybody on the phone. and b) Why technical support people always work from a sheet, starting with "Do you have electrical power in your area? Is it on? Is your PC plugged into the mains supply?..." It doesn't get better than this... Depressing, but true. It really doesn't get getter.
Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together. Manfred R. Bihy: "Looks as if OP is learning resistant."
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Ha! Customers! Can't live with them, can't live without them! ;P
A train station is where the train stops. A bus station is where the bus stops. On my desk, I have a work station.... _________________________________________________________ My programs never have bugs, they just develop random features.
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This is just a rant. I provide a CD that I ship to customers to evaluate the software before buying. So it's a try before you buy thing. 30 days, no credit card required.Really, it's free to evaluate it. I have it clearly posted that there are NO refunds because of the try before you buy period but I do offer remote and email support for a full 90 days. Sounds fair to me. Still, occasionally I get people who email me at 5 minutes to midnight that if I don't help them in the next 30 minutes that they want a refund. By the time I see the email the next day it's long past that 30 minute window. I am nice. I offer to assist them. 9 times out of 10 that's all they want. But it irks me that they have to put in the "I will ask for a refund" statement before even giving me a chance to help them. I don't usually give refunds, but if I have a customer who is a real PITA or one that I know will become a PITA I sometimes do give them their money back, just not to have to deal with them. Also, they make these statements that " I can't download your software". When they mean "I can't get the program installed". They have the CD in hand, so downloading is not a problem. Sometimes they just mean that they are having a hard time getting it registered with the code I give them and OOOPS! they have the caps light on or some small issue. Sometimes they even have the wrong program installed and are trying to register the wrong one. Or they demand I call them, even though they know i don't have phone support. Remote yes, email yes. I have to explain to them that remote support is much better than phone support. I have used remote support and they think that the program files folder is in the control panel. So they keep installing and uninstalling the program over and over and over. Ok, rant over. :rolleyes:
Time to learn some trade tricks ;P Dilbert coincidently today's strip[^]
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Time to learn some trade tricks ;P Dilbert coincidently today's strip[^]
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You have a lot of options e.g. 1 Introduce a refund policy- suppose you charge $100 for the CD demo, the policy should indicate the refund processing charges will be $95 and refund will only be applicable once they ship (at their own cost) the CD back to you in a usable and unscratched condition. :rolleyes: e.g. 2 Set auto reply that we have received your ticket and will revert back with one working day. (make sure you have it mentioned in policy document too) e.g. 3 Mention the timings of your support. Any urgent requirement will only be taken care by phone - and the charges/minute will be a substantial amount. *** these are real world examples, nothing made up....
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You have a lot of options e.g. 1 Introduce a refund policy- suppose you charge $100 for the CD demo, the policy should indicate the refund processing charges will be $95 and refund will only be applicable once they ship (at their own cost) the CD back to you in a usable and unscratched condition. :rolleyes: e.g. 2 Set auto reply that we have received your ticket and will revert back with one working day. (make sure you have it mentioned in policy document too) e.g. 3 Mention the timings of your support. Any urgent requirement will only be taken care by phone - and the charges/minute will be a substantial amount. *** these are real world examples, nothing made up....
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This is just a rant. I provide a CD that I ship to customers to evaluate the software before buying. So it's a try before you buy thing. 30 days, no credit card required.Really, it's free to evaluate it. I have it clearly posted that there are NO refunds because of the try before you buy period but I do offer remote and email support for a full 90 days. Sounds fair to me. Still, occasionally I get people who email me at 5 minutes to midnight that if I don't help them in the next 30 minutes that they want a refund. By the time I see the email the next day it's long past that 30 minute window. I am nice. I offer to assist them. 9 times out of 10 that's all they want. But it irks me that they have to put in the "I will ask for a refund" statement before even giving me a chance to help them. I don't usually give refunds, but if I have a customer who is a real PITA or one that I know will become a PITA I sometimes do give them their money back, just not to have to deal with them. Also, they make these statements that " I can't download your software". When they mean "I can't get the program installed". They have the CD in hand, so downloading is not a problem. Sometimes they just mean that they are having a hard time getting it registered with the code I give them and OOOPS! they have the caps light on or some small issue. Sometimes they even have the wrong program installed and are trying to register the wrong one. Or they demand I call them, even though they know i don't have phone support. Remote yes, email yes. I have to explain to them that remote support is much better than phone support. I have used remote support and they think that the program files folder is in the control panel. So they keep installing and uninstalling the program over and over and over. Ok, rant over. :rolleyes:
What country are your customers in?
Wout
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What country are your customers in?
Wout
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This is just a rant. I provide a CD that I ship to customers to evaluate the software before buying. So it's a try before you buy thing. 30 days, no credit card required.Really, it's free to evaluate it. I have it clearly posted that there are NO refunds because of the try before you buy period but I do offer remote and email support for a full 90 days. Sounds fair to me. Still, occasionally I get people who email me at 5 minutes to midnight that if I don't help them in the next 30 minutes that they want a refund. By the time I see the email the next day it's long past that 30 minute window. I am nice. I offer to assist them. 9 times out of 10 that's all they want. But it irks me that they have to put in the "I will ask for a refund" statement before even giving me a chance to help them. I don't usually give refunds, but if I have a customer who is a real PITA or one that I know will become a PITA I sometimes do give them their money back, just not to have to deal with them. Also, they make these statements that " I can't download your software". When they mean "I can't get the program installed". They have the CD in hand, so downloading is not a problem. Sometimes they just mean that they are having a hard time getting it registered with the code I give them and OOOPS! they have the caps light on or some small issue. Sometimes they even have the wrong program installed and are trying to register the wrong one. Or they demand I call them, even though they know i don't have phone support. Remote yes, email yes. I have to explain to them that remote support is much better than phone support. I have used remote support and they think that the program files folder is in the control panel. So they keep installing and uninstalling the program over and over and over. Ok, rant over. :rolleyes:
I once had a customer wanted his money back because his software would not run. He moved is VAX terminal (remember them) to be neared the window and the network cable would not reach so he didnt bother with it. Since the software was on te mainframe, I would have been surprised if it had, Another client was also throwing out the software because it constantly crashed out when he was raising Purchase Orders. He worked in a bacon factory so one evening after making my way through rows and rows of hanging sides of the stuff, all I could think of was my frying pan. Anyway, turns out all he did with the software was raise PO's and the crashes were due to power drains coming from a welder the other side of a four inch concrete wall. On another occasion our VAX broke down, and our tech guys had to call a plumber... turned out there was water cooling involved somewhere. Took a while for that one to get old.
Ger
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This is just a rant. I provide a CD that I ship to customers to evaluate the software before buying. So it's a try before you buy thing. 30 days, no credit card required.Really, it's free to evaluate it. I have it clearly posted that there are NO refunds because of the try before you buy period but I do offer remote and email support for a full 90 days. Sounds fair to me. Still, occasionally I get people who email me at 5 minutes to midnight that if I don't help them in the next 30 minutes that they want a refund. By the time I see the email the next day it's long past that 30 minute window. I am nice. I offer to assist them. 9 times out of 10 that's all they want. But it irks me that they have to put in the "I will ask for a refund" statement before even giving me a chance to help them. I don't usually give refunds, but if I have a customer who is a real PITA or one that I know will become a PITA I sometimes do give them their money back, just not to have to deal with them. Also, they make these statements that " I can't download your software". When they mean "I can't get the program installed". They have the CD in hand, so downloading is not a problem. Sometimes they just mean that they are having a hard time getting it registered with the code I give them and OOOPS! they have the caps light on or some small issue. Sometimes they even have the wrong program installed and are trying to register the wrong one. Or they demand I call them, even though they know i don't have phone support. Remote yes, email yes. I have to explain to them that remote support is much better than phone support. I have used remote support and they think that the program files folder is in the control panel. So they keep installing and uninstalling the program over and over and over. Ok, rant over. :rolleyes:
You seem to forget that dealing with customers is part of running a business. If you're just interested in programming then you should probably think of getting employed somewhere. Having said that, I understand it can be frustrating when customers don’t 'get' it and are confused about basic terminology ('download' instead of 'install') but at the end of the day they are interested in your software because it helps them in one way or another (you don't mention in your post what your software is about). They just want to get it installed, use it to do whatever they need to do with it and move to something else. Anything which prevents them from doing this (be it their fault or not) will not make a successful experience. You should probably try to think of making this process as smooth as possible. First of all, does it really need to be sent by post? Why isn't it possible to download the software directly from your site (in fact it’s probably what they expect and that's why some use the word 'download' instead of 'install' when they contact you). Installing a piece of software from a CD is more uncommon now than, say, 10 years ago so you really go against the flow (and more importantly against their general user experience). You say 'Sometimes they just mean that they are having a hard time getting it registered with the code I give them'. Again, do you really need to do this (giving then a code), couldn’t you send them a file by email (with a specific extension). They would just have to double-click on it, your software would read it and extract the code for them automatically. This way the user wouldn’t have to do anything (simply copying and pasting can be tricky for some...) . Another option would be for your software to connect to your web server when it's launched and check if the user has paid or not and if so download the licence code automatically. I'm not saying this is the way to go. I'm just saying there are different options you might want to think about. Basically every time a user complains about something even if it is trivial and shouldn't even be an issue ask yourself if what they're trying to do is really necessary and cannot be automated for them. The less a user has to think the better....
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You seem to forget that dealing with customers is part of running a business. If you're just interested in programming then you should probably think of getting employed somewhere. Having said that, I understand it can be frustrating when customers don’t 'get' it and are confused about basic terminology ('download' instead of 'install') but at the end of the day they are interested in your software because it helps them in one way or another (you don't mention in your post what your software is about). They just want to get it installed, use it to do whatever they need to do with it and move to something else. Anything which prevents them from doing this (be it their fault or not) will not make a successful experience. You should probably try to think of making this process as smooth as possible. First of all, does it really need to be sent by post? Why isn't it possible to download the software directly from your site (in fact it’s probably what they expect and that's why some use the word 'download' instead of 'install' when they contact you). Installing a piece of software from a CD is more uncommon now than, say, 10 years ago so you really go against the flow (and more importantly against their general user experience). You say 'Sometimes they just mean that they are having a hard time getting it registered with the code I give them'. Again, do you really need to do this (giving then a code), couldn’t you send them a file by email (with a specific extension). They would just have to double-click on it, your software would read it and extract the code for them automatically. This way the user wouldn’t have to do anything (simply copying and pasting can be tricky for some...) . Another option would be for your software to connect to your web server when it's launched and check if the user has paid or not and if so download the licence code automatically. I'm not saying this is the way to go. I'm just saying there are different options you might want to think about. Basically every time a user complains about something even if it is trivial and shouldn't even be an issue ask yourself if what they're trying to do is really necessary and cannot be automated for them. The less a user has to think the better....
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Your experience just confirms what I have long believed: Most businesses would run much better without customers. 8)
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Your experience just confirms what I have long believed: Most businesses would run much better without customers. 8)
It's just a rant..I get frustrated even though I handle the customers with kid gloves. That's what the lounge is for, otherwise I would be pulling my hair out. I am sure there are customers who have their rants for customer service people too :) I love my customers, I love my customers...my new mantra.
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This is just a rant. I provide a CD that I ship to customers to evaluate the software before buying. So it's a try before you buy thing. 30 days, no credit card required.Really, it's free to evaluate it. I have it clearly posted that there are NO refunds because of the try before you buy period but I do offer remote and email support for a full 90 days. Sounds fair to me. Still, occasionally I get people who email me at 5 minutes to midnight that if I don't help them in the next 30 minutes that they want a refund. By the time I see the email the next day it's long past that 30 minute window. I am nice. I offer to assist them. 9 times out of 10 that's all they want. But it irks me that they have to put in the "I will ask for a refund" statement before even giving me a chance to help them. I don't usually give refunds, but if I have a customer who is a real PITA or one that I know will become a PITA I sometimes do give them their money back, just not to have to deal with them. Also, they make these statements that " I can't download your software". When they mean "I can't get the program installed". They have the CD in hand, so downloading is not a problem. Sometimes they just mean that they are having a hard time getting it registered with the code I give them and OOOPS! they have the caps light on or some small issue. Sometimes they even have the wrong program installed and are trying to register the wrong one. Or they demand I call them, even though they know i don't have phone support. Remote yes, email yes. I have to explain to them that remote support is much better than phone support. I have used remote support and they think that the program files folder is in the control panel. So they keep installing and uninstalling the program over and over and over. Ok, rant over. :rolleyes:
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You seem to forget that dealing with customers is part of running a business. If you're just interested in programming then you should probably think of getting employed somewhere. Having said that, I understand it can be frustrating when customers don’t 'get' it and are confused about basic terminology ('download' instead of 'install') but at the end of the day they are interested in your software because it helps them in one way or another (you don't mention in your post what your software is about). They just want to get it installed, use it to do whatever they need to do with it and move to something else. Anything which prevents them from doing this (be it their fault or not) will not make a successful experience. You should probably try to think of making this process as smooth as possible. First of all, does it really need to be sent by post? Why isn't it possible to download the software directly from your site (in fact it’s probably what they expect and that's why some use the word 'download' instead of 'install' when they contact you). Installing a piece of software from a CD is more uncommon now than, say, 10 years ago so you really go against the flow (and more importantly against their general user experience). You say 'Sometimes they just mean that they are having a hard time getting it registered with the code I give them'. Again, do you really need to do this (giving then a code), couldn’t you send them a file by email (with a specific extension). They would just have to double-click on it, your software would read it and extract the code for them automatically. This way the user wouldn’t have to do anything (simply copying and pasting can be tricky for some...) . Another option would be for your software to connect to your web server when it's launched and check if the user has paid or not and if so download the licence code automatically. I'm not saying this is the way to go. I'm just saying there are different options you might want to think about. Basically every time a user complains about something even if it is trivial and shouldn't even be an issue ask yourself if what they're trying to do is really necessary and cannot be automated for them. The less a user has to think the better....
When you've been on the OWNER side and are responsible for paying the bills and collecting the monies you tend to be much more tolerant of problem customers like described here. If on the other hand you’ve always been employed you're much more likely to be less tolerant. It’s a tough issue with no easy or simple fix. In the end the world as well as IT Support would be a lot better for all if all involved were more tolerant and not so quick to take out their frustrations on others especially when the person you're taking your frustration out on is the one you need to help you. It would however be of use to have some method of filtering out the less tech savvy customers from the more competent ones so that those who do things like not plug in the computer before calling for support can get directed to a low level tech while the customer who knows how to build a computer from scratch gets connected to a support person who’s not going to ask the dumbed down questions like “:Is your computer turned on”.
