Back when I first tried to buy my Android phone (MyTouch) there were two color choices, white and black. I went in wanting the black model, but just out of curiosity I asked if I could see the white model.

So, after verifying my account standing and eligibility for the savings, the T-Mobile sales rep said “No problem” and ran to the back room and came back with both a black model and a white model. He opened up the white one and let me check it out, but I was quickly put off, so I told him, “I’ll take the black one”.

“Um, I actually just scanned this one into the system so I don’t think I can make the change”. “Err… Let me see”…

From what I gather, there just was no option to make the change or even remove it as a line item.

“Ok, I’ll just pay for the phone, return it and then you can ring me up for the black one, I don’t mind waiting”.

So he tried that, I paid for and returned then phone.

“Hmm… It looks like I can’t actually ring you up for a new phone since your account is now marked as no longer eligible for the savings”.

We went back and forth for a bit trying to figure something out, he called T-Mobile offices and there was nothing they could do. But They did have a solution.

Go to another T-Mobile location and buy it there.

“Huh?”

Here I was, ready to hand over hundreds of dollars, sign a new 2-year contract, and was unable to because of a simple miscommunication. And the comedic solution was to go to another T-Mobile store about five blocks away.

So a known bug in their process forces customers to find another physical store location. Should not a transaction always occur, no matter what, if both parties are a good fit?

My previous post, The Dreaded Last Minute Sales Pitch, leads nicely into this one…

My credit card is pretty boring. All it has on it is my bank’s logo and the visa moniker. I do “get” credit cards with your favorite sports team on it or better yet charitable credit cards for cancer research or wildlife refuge. What I do not get and near despise are business branded credit cards.

What possible benefit could you get from something like a MySpace branded credit card?

MySpace and others who offer branded credit cards are milking their customers for all it’s worth, practically admitting that they will not be around for very long or in it for the long haul. Whenever I am offered a branded card I immediately assume that they just don’t care. They will sacrifice a few customers here and there in order to make a quick buck.

When this becomes a means of income for a business I find they will sacrifice anything to get more and more people to sign up.

I had a terrible experience at Banana Republic last week. I went in to buy a new pair of pants, real quick, I know my size, I know the “cut”, etc.

Head down, careful not to make eye contact with any employee, I headed to the rack. Of course, I wasn’t able to find my size, and the color and style was perfect for the jacket I had. I had to ask for help.

What a mistake. I found an associate to give me a hand who began helpful enough, calling someone to look in the “back” for my size, but the experience quickly went downhill. After the usual up-sale pitch, “what no shoes to go with your new pants”, she continued, asking how I was going to pay. I knew where the conversation was headed when she continued to “let me know” that they have a Banana Republic credit card that will save me a certain percentage on my first purchase, it’s good at certain stores, blah, blah, blah. She just would not let up, as if I was a fool for not applying. “You just apply, get the discount and then cancel the card!”

Huh? Yeah, right.

These last minute sales pitches seem to be happening more and more as retail execs are looking to squeeze out every little penny than can from their customers. The real downside is that it forever harms your product, the experience, and makes wanting to spend money even harder. Why would I want to go back and deal with that?

When times are tough looking at your employees to save you, getting them to sell more and sell better, is harmful. Hounding your customers is not going to save you. Why not make your product better. If sales suck, why not place focus where it should be.

The dreaded last minute sales pitch, you always know when it’s coming.

UPDATE (24 September 2010):
There is some interesting discussion on this very topic on Hacker News at: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1723421 about this article No company should ever have a noreply email address by Ryan Waggoner.

Joel Spolsky makes a compelling argument in favor of No-reply address here – That no-reply addresses should be used on a case by case basis since there is a financial cost to the recipient.

I still believe that ridding of no-reply email addresses is worth it to more companies that others, especially ones who are sending to paying customers. If GoDaddy sends me an email about an automated charge on my CC, I should most definitely have the ability to reply to that email. The pain caused to me, fumbling through their site in order to contact the correct department, even though they just emailed me, costs more to me than 10 cents. And it costs them because I am pushed to no longer be a customer. Personally I would pay 10 cents if it meant holding a customer longer.

I think my RescueTime example below was not the best and what really prompted the post was this interaction I had with GoDaddy. It just so happened I received a no-reply email from RescueTime right after a frustration I had with GoDaddy and honestly I a bit surprised by it.

I think people are replying to these emails in either case, so why not, at the very least, take a look at a few instead of shutting your eyes from them.

————–

I don’t know about you, but I do not understand “no-reply@_____.com” email addresses.

Common uses of this you see are with account validation and report summaries. So, for example, when RescueTime emails my weekly efficiency report to me, I cannot reply to the email. Should I have a question or even a suggestion for them, my reply, presumably, will go into oblivion.

How high could the cost be to “deal” with people replying to such an email? Why would you want to miss out an opportunity to interact with your customer?

Went to see The Golden Compass last night and I have to say, the one things that irks me about fantasy stories is the need to romanticize war.

There is always this clear division between good and evil in such movies and I find it frustrating. Yes. It is just a movie. A kids movie. But war is the central theme to most any science fiction or fantasy story. Not only that, but the story glorifies and romanticizes the fight against the impending evil. Why is this? Are we teaching kids, in order for good to triumph, to get what one wants, is to seek out evil and destroy it. I enjoy the idea of seeking out what may be hindering us and fighting it, but the source is rarely evil or purposely out to destroy us.

What would fantasy books and movies look like without war?

I’ve found myself lately inspecting technology, software and hardware, with the desire to learn something. A new online service comes along and I sign up, test drive it, and then move on. I rarely seem to actually “use” technology lately.

It is a really bad habit I have gotten myself into and I think it is because of my obsession to “know” everything I possibly can around technology. And this is just stupid. First off, there is no way to learn every bit of anything and the approach I am taking, as I am sure many do, is to consume mass quantities of something without any care for its usefulness. Secondly, why would I want to? I think I’d rather be an expert a few things that have some general knowledge in numerous things.

Use Technology
That’s what it is meant for. I will no longer buy a new product, sign up for a new service or download another piece of software unless I personally have a need for it. Not even for research will I do any of these things, because this is another way into fooling myself that I “need” to use a piece of technology.

It is a simple filter and I really hope that it will help keep my interests in tack.

“Coming Up On…” has to be one of the most irritating phrases in reality television.

Yes. Let’s waste thirty seconds showing highlights from a scene we are about to see. Program developers are so afraid that our tv-dope-sick mind will wander to another station that they will do anything to keep us watching.

Please. We are not idiots. We get it. A climax every six minutes followed by a commercial. Oh. Wait. The commercial is the climax.

We love TV. We’re addicted. We’re watching your show. Quit fucking with us!