I've been lurking this forum for a while now, and finally have something that I feel is worth my time to post on, as it is something I happen to know quite a bit about. My opinion here is about as unbiased as I can make it. I'll try to maintain a modicum of linear motion here, but I have a tendency to go off on tangents...
I work in the service industry, it's my job and it seems I'm pretty well suited for it. The most important point I see a lot of people missing here is the fact that it IS about money. But it's not about just Tony's money. There's a sliding scale at work here, and attitudes will certainly be the killer. KS is "The biggest, best reptile website out there", but if this kind of thing becomes a regular occurrence, then it won't be for long.
In my line of work, if someone has a complaint, then I must think they believe it is a valid one. What they bought does NOT matter in the least. Because if I don't actually put forth the small effort to try and make things right, it will hurt my business in the long run. That $1 ticket can turn into a multimillion dollar account in a heartbeat. If someone is being completely beligerant, just for the sake of being a jerk, I show him the door, but that has never happened to me, personally. And I didn't see that in Tony's emails either.
Tony didn't word his complaint very kindly, I'm sure he sees that himself. I don't see Jeff as the "mad dictator" of anything like that. However, he has a business to run in the SERVICE INDUSTRY, which means he must be willing to take his lumps just like everyone else in that business. Jeff is lucky in that he doesn't have the risk of losing his job over an issue such as this. But he also has the added responsibility of making sure his clientelle is taken care of, especially if they have a complaint that they feel is valid. If he doesn't see this, then I can see KS reaching critical mass, and some other website coming in to sweep away his business. A little respect goes a long way. But we shouldn't be afraid of losing our accounts on that site if we piss the man in charge off. That's not how our kind of business works.
Saying soeone was having a bad day is no excuse in any of this. We all work hard, we all have our bad days, but our responsibility is to try to not let that effect how we run our business. Jeff works hard, I don't doubt that, but if I did something like that because I am working all hours, then you bet your silly hat that I wouldn't be working there for much longer. This rule applies to all levels of even the largest corporations. The corporation acts with poor customer service, that corporation disappears. It's a fact.
I honestly think Tony and Jeff should establish a dialog and get this worked out between them. Both of you need to approach each other with an air of respect. Tony, your business could use the services KS offers, and Jeff your business could use the good reviews set forth by your customers. Think about it.
Of course, since I'm not a big name in the reptile world, I don't doubt that my opinion will be considered invalid, but let the facts speak for themselves. and try to consider the bigger picture here.
-Joshua Gates
I work in the service industry, it's my job and it seems I'm pretty well suited for it. The most important point I see a lot of people missing here is the fact that it IS about money. But it's not about just Tony's money. There's a sliding scale at work here, and attitudes will certainly be the killer. KS is "The biggest, best reptile website out there", but if this kind of thing becomes a regular occurrence, then it won't be for long.
In my line of work, if someone has a complaint, then I must think they believe it is a valid one. What they bought does NOT matter in the least. Because if I don't actually put forth the small effort to try and make things right, it will hurt my business in the long run. That $1 ticket can turn into a multimillion dollar account in a heartbeat. If someone is being completely beligerant, just for the sake of being a jerk, I show him the door, but that has never happened to me, personally. And I didn't see that in Tony's emails either.
Tony didn't word his complaint very kindly, I'm sure he sees that himself. I don't see Jeff as the "mad dictator" of anything like that. However, he has a business to run in the SERVICE INDUSTRY, which means he must be willing to take his lumps just like everyone else in that business. Jeff is lucky in that he doesn't have the risk of losing his job over an issue such as this. But he also has the added responsibility of making sure his clientelle is taken care of, especially if they have a complaint that they feel is valid. If he doesn't see this, then I can see KS reaching critical mass, and some other website coming in to sweep away his business. A little respect goes a long way. But we shouldn't be afraid of losing our accounts on that site if we piss the man in charge off. That's not how our kind of business works.
Saying soeone was having a bad day is no excuse in any of this. We all work hard, we all have our bad days, but our responsibility is to try to not let that effect how we run our business. Jeff works hard, I don't doubt that, but if I did something like that because I am working all hours, then you bet your silly hat that I wouldn't be working there for much longer. This rule applies to all levels of even the largest corporations. The corporation acts with poor customer service, that corporation disappears. It's a fact.
I honestly think Tony and Jeff should establish a dialog and get this worked out between them. Both of you need to approach each other with an air of respect. Tony, your business could use the services KS offers, and Jeff your business could use the good reviews set forth by your customers. Think about it.
Of course, since I'm not a big name in the reptile world, I don't doubt that my opinion will be considered invalid, but let the facts speak for themselves. and try to consider the bigger picture here.
-Joshua Gates
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