questionable and inconsistent communicated expectations
Written: Sep 13 '07
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I recently was in the market for a new coffee maker. When I did the web search for the Cuisinart DCC1200 Ikitchen had the very best price by at least $15. I guess I have become a somewhat trusting sort given the overwhelming number of positive experiences I have had shopping with E-tailers. I placed the order quickly through their interface using paypal. Then received an email acknowledging my order immediately. That seemed fine, except that on that email was the statement:
"Due to the volatility of and constant changes in the marketplace, there is a small chance that the
item(s) you ordered will be out of stock or discontinued when your order is processed. If this should be the case,
you will be notified within one or two business day that we will not be able to ship the item(s).
To make up for any inconvenience this may cause you, we might offer you a discount on your next order."
That just didn't set right with me. Nothing about the stock status was revealed in the checkout process other than it usually ships in 2-3 days. Yet on the confirmation email it is stated that the item will usually ship within 5 " Business days " another small inconsistency, and a red flag for me. Then and only then did I decide to check some reviews of ikitchen as a retailer. (I know, I am ashamed) Nothing horrible, but it seemed that a lot of people had higher expectations of the transaction speed than what they received and that communications with the supplier where somewhat cumbersome to say the least. This would have been fine even if there had been some balance in the opinions, unfortunately they seemed rather consistent.
I placed my order on Saturday morning, On Tuesday Afternoon the status of my order had not changed per the tracking page and I became concerned.
For me, reasonably prompt communications (within a day or so, longer if it is a weekend) is the most essential part of the purchase. This does not have to be a human, but I do need to know there is a human being somewhere that can intervene in the event that a computer has a glitch.
I got uncomfortable with the transaction, and opted to cancel the order and make the purchase elsewhere. I did this through their online form, and was promised a response within 72 " business " hours. That promise did not help my growing feeling of unease.
I did get a response within 24 hours, and my order was canceled and money refunded.
The only thing that I can honestly say about the experience is that this was not the type of online service that I have become accustomed to.
A few things that I think would have made a critical difference :
Consistency in communicated expectations i.e. shipping, processing, and response estimates
Expectation set for a faster turnaround on correspondence (this should always be prompt so people know you're there)
Order status updated on the tracking page, buy that I mean something changing to let me know that something is happening i.e. received, processing, shipped ...etc
I think people are willing to wait a little longer for a really good price, only if that expectation is set up front though. For this transaction I needed a quick turnaround (We take coffee very seriously at our house), and so ended up paying another $15 (still a great price) and received the merchandise in two days.
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Cusinart DCC1200
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Epinions.com ID:
florwj
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Reviews written: 3
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