The Real Poop on Customer Service

My comment contained a nicely worded complaint about the new product, as well as a specific question about the availability of the old one. I'm not the least bit surprised that three weeks have passed and I've not heard back. Annoyed, yes. But not surprised. (Compare that to my social-media experience with Pepperidge Farms.)

I was surprised, however, to have received two e-mails from the company offering me savings on the new product, with no acknowledgement whatsoever of my dissatisfaction. Clearly, the website's comment function is nothing more than a vehicle for gathering e-mail addresses and upselling.

In protest I've moved on to one of the few other eco-friendly brands that is nowhere near as effective as the old version of this product and about on par, performance-wise, as the new version — minus the stick-like bits.

I have three cats, so unless I want to invest in the kitty toilet-training kit I saw in SkyMall (and I haven't ruled that out completely), I have to buy kitty litter. But your donors don't have to donate to you or anyone else. And if they do decide to give, there are lot of other "anyone else's" out there that they can give to if their experience with your organization or its website ticks them off, makes them feel insignificant or doesn't produce the experience or results they want.

It's easy to forget that customers and donors have choices. So don't.