Happy April Fool’s Day, and today’s post is no JOKE.    I am about to rant about poor customer service.  Perhaps I’m wrong, but maybe I’m right.  For what it’s worth, I am unhappy with the customer service I received thus the company will sadly feel my wrath on this blog.

Last week I ordered $1 off Crest Toothpaste coupons from Dede’s Coupon Clipping Service.  I ordered 5 coupons @ 10 cents each for 50 cents total. I unfortunately received on Friday 5 – 50 cents off Crest coupons.  Not a big deal, but not what I ordered and paid for.

Thus I immediately emailed Dede.  She responded that she would mail the correct coupons.  I said don’t bother I didn’t need the coupons anymore and would prefer credit to my account. I decided there was no point in asking for a cash refund, but since I do buy coupons online, I would just have credit on my account for next time.  To me it sounded reasonable because it would be a returning order EVEN though SHE made the mistake.  Especially considering on the order printout it said $1 off crest coupons.

She then replied that she would require me mailing back the unused coupons. I said no thank you.  It would cost me 42 cents to mail back 50 cents worth of coupons.  To get a 50 cents credit?  That’s just stupid.  No thank you, it isn’t worth my time or effort.  I consider it money spent figuring out which coupons services I prefer.  She stated that this was her firm, non-negotiable policy and that it allows her to not debate with clients.

So I’m pissed.  I’m pissed about the fact that I didn’t make a mistake but am penalized for it.  I’m pissed over the fact that she isn’t just apologizing and accepting responsibility for the mistake.  Her response is the normal policy is to just mail out the “correct” coupons after the fact.  I’m pissed because I also order coupons from the Coupon Master and The Coupon Clippers.  And this unfortunate mistake has happened before.  So what did the Coupon Master do?

Well they just gave me store credit.  They didn’t bother getting back the coupons or offering to mail them, unless I really wanted them. After all I had already paid 42 cents shipping and 50 cents service fee, so why bother?

This annoyance just pointed out to me how important customer service is.  Sure it’s not a large amount of money, but it would have generated goodwill and a returning customer instead of a scathing blog post.  Which sure might not be read by many people.

But I also belong to HotCouponWorld.  I love to look for deals, and I’m also posting a review of the customer service I received from Dede.  Most people on there are hardcore coupon shoppers, unlike me. And while I might not be a hardcore couponer, it does carry weight that someone is dissatisfied or unhappy with the service provided.

So the ripple effect I think is more than just making me unhappy. It’s also me spreading the word to other couponers that if they want to order coupons, they should use the other two services which have more generous mistake policy, especially if the mistake is on THEIR end. If it was my mistake, no problem.  I might have accidentally ordered the wrong coupon.

So I feel better now that’s I’ve ranted.  But let me end by saying, I guess I’ve learned, I’d rather pay a few cents more next time for a good and get GREAT customer service instead of being cheap and having crap customer service.

Do you think customer service is important?