undefined | Better HN

0 pointsBenjamin_Dobell5y ago0 comments

Whilst dealing with unsavoury people obviously isn't ideal, and I certainly don't envy your position. Is this not just the cost of doing business in that specific industry?

Typically you'd just raise your prices to factor in support costs. You'd have different margins for each industry.

Realistically, the reason you're unable to raise your prices is because you're stuck competing with companies that simply don't offer customer service themselves, and hence would undercut you.

If there was an appropriate amount of public outrage (and ideally legal repercussions) toward businesses not offering sufficient customer support, then your competitors would also have to increase their prices. You'd be no worse off, and general customer satisfaction would improve across the board.

0 comments

AussieWog935y ago

The issue is not so much about offering _customer_ service. Genuine customers will only ask for help when they actually need it and do it in a way that respects everyone's time.

Instead, it's more about taking time away from your business to deal with people who have no intention of buying from you but are just bored, lonely or mentally ill.

While the latter group might only represent 25% of the people who contact you, attempting to fulfill their needs is literally impossible and will eat up as much of your productive time as you allow it. Online reviews (which basically represent the "appropriate amount of public outrage") have only made this worse. If one of your non-customers feel slighted, they will drag your name through the mud in the foulest way possible. The whole "Karen" meme didn't come from nowhere (although in our case, it's usually 30-something single men).

srtjstjsj5y ago

You donate a portion of your income or time to charitable causes, right? Deduct this volunteer therapy work from that.

Hokusai5y ago

All your argument is based in the idea of making live more difficult for consumers and easier to business. That seems the wrong way to tip the balance.

Are not going to be business better equipped to deal with unruly customers than mothers/grandfathers/teenagers having to spend time of their private lives navigating hostile interfaces designed to make them give up? Does not this incentivize bad businesses selling counterfeits/damaged goods with the hope that will not be returned?

sokoloff5y ago

For many transactions, the only customer support I need is an automated shipping confirmation, automated tracking, and maybe (or maybe not) a way to return/refund.

I buy a fair number of items on AliExpress and banggood. I don’t want “good customer service” bloating the costs. (Ironically, I still get good service on the 1% of transactions that go wrong, even when I can’t really prove anything. I bought two nice lipo chargers and got sent one. One email and remedied in a couple of weeks.)

marcan_425y ago

I've never had a good customer support experience on AliExpress. Mostly because the only times I've needed "customer support" was when I've been sent fake items (specs grossly and explicitly misstated, usually, often with clear intent to deceive), and that is something AliExpress sellers will absolutely never admit to doing in my experience. Best case they politely say there's no problem, worst case they throw racial slurs based on your presumed nationality based on the destination country (which isn't even correct for me, ha).

In those cases, AliExpress will seemingly randomly decide for or against you randomly, even when you file a dispute with clear photographic and video evidence. I've had it go both ways.

90% of the time it's fine, though, and the cost savings outweigh the loss from fake goods. But I'd certainly not call the AliExpress CS experience "good".

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse