Reviews, Reviews, Reviews and a lawsuit

I had a Voice Mail today and was with a customer, so it was 90 minutes or so before I could call back. When I did, the gentleman at the other end of the phone said "We are no longer interested in Hancock and Moore, thank you, my wife read some negative reviews and we are going to move to another brand".

Rather than simply saying "OK, goodbye" I was curious what the reviews said and asked him what the objections were - not because I'm trying to make / save a sale - but because I'm a furniture enthusiast and like to see what misinformation may be floating around, especially since H&M is considered the top motion furniture maker in the country. So that led to a little discussion about the quality of various reviews. At the end of the conversation I suggest he has his wife call me with any concerns she may have and I'll answer then honestly and truthfully. My regular customers know I don't sugar coat things.

I think reviews can be very useful - but I also thing many are very emotional and have to do with a customer not getting the answers they want to hear. Some of that can be a misunderstanding of WHOM is supposed to handle their issue (the dealer, not the manufacturer) and how thing work. Some of them are venting frustration. A few have unreasonable expectations. Realize too, that when most people are happy with their purchase, they do NOT leave reviews, they are moving onto the next thing on their busy schedules. Learn how to differentiate the frustrated reviews from objective ones. Pick your dealer wisely, good dealers don't let issues fester and work with their clients. Be aware if you call around the country to get the lowest price, you are also going to be buying from a dealer that won't return your phone call if you do have an issue.

I'm 66 years old. A few sales one way or another are not going to make or break me. After 36 years in the business, I've seen it all. One of the things I really like to do is help young couples along in their purchases. The money is usually a factor for them, they tend to be a little confused by sales rhetoric, and a little cautious in trusting someone they don't know. So yes, I do the fatherly advice thing as best I can the same way I would for my own adult children who are in their 20's.

One of the best stores of the week that I am going to share ....

This past fall one of my younger clients moved his apartment and the moving company damaged one of his H&M Steele Farm Barstools that was only a year old. They damaged it enough that it needed to go back to Hancock and Moore, but it certainly wasn't torn up enough to need replacing, maybe $ 150 in repairs. I worked on the logistics for him, and set up the Return Authorization, and that the moving company had to get it to H&M in Hickory NC. So what did they do? They put it in a box with no padding, no bracing and no padding. It arrived at H&M in a dozen pieces, totally destroyed - and went right to the dumpster. My client said the moving company told him to go pound sand when he told them what happened and they said they were not replacing it. He then told me he was going to pretty much chalk it up to bad luck and would replace it at a later date when he had the money to do so (its a $ 1,700 barstool!).

I said "Don't let them get away with that, sue them in Small Claims Court" and then I laid out the steps for him to do so, and how to file and represent himself before the judge. We did this over about a dozen emails. I have been to Small Claims many times myself as a Plaintiff and like nothing better than to see unethical businesses get their feet held to the fire. I have a real issue with any business that tells their customers to buzz off, because its makes all small businesses look bad. Small Claims just takes a little conviction and courage to file a complaint, and there are no attorney's allowed.

This week he emailed me back and said he did as I suggested and he won his judgement plus court costs in Arlington County. Whooo-hooo!! That's what I'm talking about. And then he ordered his replacement barstool! He said he never would have gone to Small Claims without my encouraging him to do so. The great thing about this is not that I sold another barstool, it's that I showed a young man the Justice system works and rights wrongs.

So when you have an issue, discuss it with your selling dealer. If you get stonewalled and you can present factual information as to why your claim is valid, then hold them accountable. Reasonable people get results. And any business that would let themselves get dragged into Court when they know they can't win have fools for owners.