I was going to write an article about why the customer is not always right, and that is coming shortly, however this was on the top of my list so thought I would punch it out first.

This article is about dissatisfied customers and should get you thinking about whether you have existing customers that you’ve been ignoring, therefore, you are missing out (in more ways than one). So bear with me, there is a point to all this.

I am one very dissatisfied Foxtel customer, which pains me no end because my favourite shows are on Fox 8. Anyway, this is about my experience as a customer and how Foxtel seems to focus on the NEW customer and FORGETS their current customer (unless of course they are after money).

I believe forgetting about your existing customers is a huge mistake for any business, and Foxtel is likely losing business because of it.

So here is my gripe(s).

My husband and I have been a Foxtel customer for nearly 10 years. In that time we have noticed some key differences in quality and value:

• Foxtel fees keep going up and up and it is hard to justify the value, and they offer NEW customers the opportunity to purchase for nearly 1/3 of the price we are (were) paying
• Too many repeats, where are the new shows in the series.
• We were paying $1300 a year for repeated shows with constant ad interruptions. So on a typical half hour show, we regularly noticed 15 mins of ads

It is just not acceptable for PAY TV! Didn’t the whole PAY TV concept originate by pushing the fact there was ‘no advertising’. I don’t know about you, but I think that is double dipping. Foxtel gets paid by the customer and the advertiser, and we are getting less and less value for our money.

Then there is the issue of lack of variety. With the same shows being repeated 3 or 4 times and hardly anything new to watch. Most of the repeats recently on Foxtel are now also on free tv (granted a little behind but nonetheless, for free). Correct me if I am wrong, but shouldn’t Foxtel be showing the latest in a series?

Of course, sometimes we are happy to pay over the top prices for a quality product, if you feel you are getting what you pay for!

Now here is the clincher…

My hubby rang up to cancel the account, because we believed were not receiving value for money, plus received a letter from Foxtel threatening to cancel the account (we were less than one month behind, oops). So we paid the $96 owing but then the customer service rep offered us a $10 week deal if we stayed on as a customer. What the!

Now you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t think that was a good deal, but why wait until we threatened to cancel the account before showing they value us as a customer. If they had asked if we wanted to do that a month before we would have jumped at it; now we are beyond pissed and really don’t want anything to do with them.

Foxtel, it is just not good enough, you need to start looking at your existing (long term) customers and start giving back. Plus, get rid of the ads and put some new shows/updated series on.

So now we have a set top box, yes we miss our favourite shows, but the kids are playing more on the trampoline, running around, and we go to bed early instead of sitting up all hours catching up on taped shows.  Yes, there are a lot of times I/we miss it, especially on the weekends when all that is on ‘free tv’ is sport (yawn), but that is a sacrifice we are willing to make.

It is amazing to me how Foxtel continually advertisers great bargains for new customers, but I would like to hear from any existing long term customer that has received a special offer at random (no particular reason) that has reduced your monthly cost. We never received it until it was too late, have you and do you believe you should? Let me know your thoughts.

What if the reason why we are currently experiencing an economic crisis is because there are too many ‘get rich’ schemes ripping people off or products being sold that are not quality or do not provide value? How can they get away with it? Maybe it is time for those ‘advantage takers’ to step back and realise they now need to provide value and quality or they won’t get the droves of customers they were getting a 1-3 years back.

Have you noticed all the ‘deals’ that seem to be popping up lately, like ‘buy xyz car and get $000s cash back’; and that’s not all, you also get a set of steak knives (just kidding). If you are in business that provides a product that is ‘not’ of sound quality (unless you are a bargain shop), what do you think is going to happen to that business down the track. In recent months I have purchased several items through online wholesaler sites. The items were for personal use mostly, but here’s the thing, most of the items have either been thrown out or just not used at all because they were not of the standard I expected.

Here is the other thing, most customers will NOT complain, they will just NEVER return to buy from you again and will tell their friends not too. Frankly, if I had seen the same items in a retail store, I would have thought they weren’t worth the money, unfortunately the Internet makes products look very inviting and can easily cover up any imperfections.

Here is a classic example: (more…)

It is now more vital than ever to stay ahead of what is going on around us, so that our businesses remain in tact and stronger than ever. I strongly believe a ‘quality system’ is one way to do that. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to go to all the trouble and cost of obtaining an accreditation certificate to ISO 9001; what it does mean is that you can use the ISO 9001 guidelines to setup your very own quality system.

If you are having problems in areas of staff performance, comebacks, customer satisfaction… a quality system can help you:

• identify problem areas and rectify them quickly
• track customer feedback
• improve performance of staff
• with continual improvement
• develop or provide better quality products and services
• force you to communicate more with your staff and customers
• increase sales and profits
• grow your business
  
• define an appropriate supplier
• protect your business
• standardise processes and procedures
• gain recognition from external bodies
• with obtaining government projects (usually certification is needed here though, but not always)
• define roles and responsibilities of management and employees- reduce overhead costs
• and heaps more benefits

There is a catch though … (more…)