"Not so clean"

Article 9: “Not so clean”

[The story]

Jason needed to steam clean his carpet so decided to hire a steam cleaner from a major hardware retailer.??The hiring process was very efficient, and Jason didn’t even blink when asked for a $100 deposit, which would be refunded on return of the steam cleaner.??Jason paid the rental charge and deposit in one electronic transaction, using his watch.

On returning the steam cleaner a couple of hours later, his deposit was returned electronically, using his watch again... or so he thought.

On checking his bank account the next day he found the $100 deposit had not been returned.??He went back to the store to enquire and was told it could take up to 5 days for a ‘refund’ to be processed.??Despite his protestations that this was a deposit return, not a refund, his only option was to wait.??Not happy, Jason escalated to a supervisor who committed to checking further.??A call back from the supervisor the next day confirmed the deposit refund had not been processed and Jason would need to return to the store, for a fourth time, to receive his deposit refund.

[How the customer felt]

Jason was initially very happy with the hiring process but became increasingly frustrated by what should have been a simple deposit return.??Having to escalate to a supervisor was equally frustrating, as was the inconvenience of four trips to the store, for the same transaction.

[The underlying contributors to these experiences]

What was initially a very easy hiring process was tainted by a poor administrative process.??The service team was unable to assist, due to a standard process, applied to a transaction that was clearly different in the customer’s mind.??Making the customer ‘do the work’ of returning to the store multiple times, reinforces the danger of rigidly applying policies to a range of different transactions.

[The business impact]

Jason loves this retailer, so he’ll be back.??But he may not hire another steam cleaner from them.??He has also shared his story with others, potentially impacting their decision.??What could have been a straightforward sale for the retailer, cost them much more than it should, with the supervisor having to be involved in dealing with the various failures that resulted.

[Close]

Simple transactions which are the subject of rigid policies can end up costing organisations much more when they fail to meet customer expectations.??These failures also undermine customers confidence and potentially impact future sales opportunities.