PokerShark said:
in part........
OK I'll be honest about this, and those of you that are whitewashing this topic should be ashamed. YOU are part of the problem that SHOULD be addressed and not ignored.................I think I have a pretty solid background when it comes to offering an opinion on the subject. So if this message is frowned upon by the forum management and I get a black-eye for what I am about to say, so be it! I find truth and integrity much more liberating and functional than appeasement and butt kissing.
The one thing that really troubled me prior to purchasing my CTX was the ML reputation when it comes to customer service. No one will or should question their ability to develop and build great products, but their customer service reputation precedes them like bad aftershave. There is more than enough support for this position here in this forum, in other forums, on other sites, and all over the net for that matter. I can tell you without reservation; if people have a negative opinion of your service it is more times than not a well earned reputation - sad but true. Those that contend that it is a brand "smear campaign" really need to stop drinking the corporate koolade and pull their collective heads out of the sand!!
....Calling or inferring a customer is a liar is unforgivable! .............. I am appalled that would not only happen, but appears to be part of their training or corporate culture!!
Paying top shelf price and getting bargain bin service is not a formula for success and those of you who are giving them a pass when it comes to a dysfunctional support structure are not doing customers or the company any favors in the long run. My point being, if they can keep doing this and sell they will! But if there is a backlash they will be forced to change if they want to be profitable.....simple dollars and cents from a corporate perspective
Wow! Those are some serious comments and accusations, coming from someone who has ZERO personal experience with Minelab Customer Service.
Although I do happen to have Administrator privileges on this forum and served as Field Tester for the CTX 3030, I speak only for myself, not Findmall or Minelab. I am not here to defend Minelab's Customer Service Department. But I would comment that, when I needed them, I've found their Customer Service to be top notch. I'd be remiss if I didn't say the same thing about White's. Top notch, all the way. I mention this not for what you refer to as "appeasement or butt kissing". But because I am being honest and speaking the truth, based on my own personal experiences, instead of comments I've read on the forums. I agree that Customer Service is the key to survival, for any industry. But considering that you have admittedly never contacted Minelab for service, I have to question what would compel you to make these comments? Especially under the guise of truth, integrity and honesty.
Those who have had a problem with Minelab Customer Service have every opportunity to post their comments. Some have, and others have not. But for you to state that those who have expressed positive comments are somehow "whitewashing" the topic tells me that you have less experience managing people than you would like us to believe. Well, I shouldn't suggest you don't have experience. But I will add that experience is not synonymous with being well versed or accomplished. As the old saying goes.....the worst haircut I ever got was from a barber who had 30 years of "experience".
As someone who spent their entire career directly interfacing with customers, both on the technical side and managerial side, I am confident that telling one of our customers (who had a great experience with our Customer Service Department) that they were "whitewashing the topic" would, in itself, have been poor customer service. Not to mention demeaning to the customer. Your statement that those who have posted positive comments toward Minelab's Customer Service are "drinking the corporate Kool-Aid and have their heads in the sand" is very disrespectful to those who have given their honest opinions. Who let you decide that negative opinions are the only ones that have substance? And your statement that it "appears to be part of their training or Corporate culture to call or infer a customer is a liar" is one of the most ridiculous statements I've ever heard. Making such a statement about a customer service organization that you've never personally dealt with doesn't bode well for your honesty or your integrity.
You posted that Minelab has a bad support record in the U.S. based on all the data you have seen. I'm curious, what record and what data have you seen? As someone as important as you are in the CSR field, you should know that data would represent far more than what you've read on the internet forums. It entails facts, statistics, trends. On the customer service side, it would include the number of units in use, repair / return ratio, turn-around-times, percentage of repair customers who reported their experience as completely satisfied, mostly satisfied, somewhat satisfied or not satisfied. Of those who said they were not satisfied, what were the primary reasons? Did they resubmit the product? What were the results? etc.etc.etc. So again, I have doubts that what you referred to as "data" was anything more than a random number of "posts on the forums". That isn't data. That is called venting. And if it is venting, the question should be.....why spend hours venting on the forums, when you could have spent that time actually trying to resolve the issue?
With that said, you have the right to express your opinion just as those who have found the need to contact Minelab's Customer Service can form their own opinions. The difference being, theirs is based on their personal experiences. Yours were based on hearsay. It is my belief that forming opinions based on truth and honesty demonstrates integrity. Forming opinions based on comments you've read online are......well, they are simply opinions. I don't give much credence to those based on hearsay. But that is just my opinion.
HH Randy
His name is actually Gene Knight and I don't think he ever played in the band Kiss.
