Not ten minutes after I posted about my troubles with blackberrystuff.com, one of the senior managers from Moftware called me. He offered to refund the five bucks, and apologised for my treatment. He also offered me anything, except bluetooth stuff, on the website as a gift. He wrote me, later, to confirm his offer.
I don't care whether or not I get the five bucks, and I am not going to take him up on the gift. I DO appreciate the apology, and it seems to me that Moftware has learned a valuable lesson in customer service. In case it isn't obvious, the lesson is that the relationship between a vendor and the end-users to whom it sells things is the only thing that keeps us all in business. Break the contract, implied or stated (as Moftware's is: "We pride ourselves on our customer service. If our service pleases you, tell your family and friends.") and you endanger the relationship.
My hope is that Moftware didn't respond to me because I am "a man who buys ink by the barrel." My hope is that they would have and will in the future respond to problems like this with more sensitivity, and be less legalistic in applying their policies.
This is a valuable lesson for process automation vendors and end-users, too. It costs far less to keep a customer than to buy a new one. It is easy to do, too. The problem is that it requires ruthless integrity and honesty, and the ability to put yourself in the customer's shoes, and look at things from the customer's perspective. Too many vendors see customers as sheep to be shorn, rather than partners in their business growth. And, being fair, too many end-users see vendors as slightly stupid wolves, to be tricked and shafted before the wolves trick and shaft them.
This delays progress, and makes it difficult for us to be competitive in the world's markets.
What do you think?
Walt
