SaiKaiTai

One of the joys of living in the SF Bay Area is I have a ton of LBS to choose from.
One of them, where I bought my Kaitai, has a lovely little website with all the bikes and stuff the carry.
Lot's of good info to be found and a handy little "Email us!" link that apparently goes nowhere.
I've emailed them about some roadies I'm interested in and even though it says right there that they will get back to me in one business day (but only on weekdays), I've not heard a peep from them all week. I sent a follow up saying that this brings their whole customer service model into question and I'm inclined to take my business elsewhere to a shop that DOES answer its email. Luckily, that shop carries the OCR-3, which LBS #1 doesn't. They haven't answered that either. Sounds like they want to make my buying decision easy.

But it raises the question, doesn't it?
Why include an email link if you're gonna ignore it? Doesn't exactly build up customer good will, does it. Rant over. Grrrrrr.....

Thrifty1

Maybe they are experiencing technical dificulties...........

SaiKaiTai

Maybe, but I don't think so... they've always finally answered with something like:
"Sorry, I was off for the last couple of days" or
"Sorry, my mom was in the hospital" or
"Sorry, I've been out. I should have had someone covering that for me"

OK, fair enough, but if that's the answer you get EVERY time... well, if it walks like a duck...
If it really happens that often then either a) email is not reliable (don't offer the option) or b) they need to plug that hole in their operations.

Nermal

Well, what the heck! I tried to contact an agency of the New Mexico government five times last week. No answer; no response to the five messages. Hey, if they're not going to answer the phone, take it away from them, and lower my taxes by .000001%, or whatever.

Thanks for the opening for my own little rant.

Big Paulie

One of my LBS's sent me a card back in early March sayng that April 17 was a huge, storewide sale. I went in there yesterday to see what kind of stuff they would have, and tey told me the sale was March 17, and the card was misprinted. Only a faint notion of an apology.

Thrifty1

Perhaps the technical dificulty is between their ears......

biffstephens

A few reasons....

1: They are idiots
2: Email is not there first language
3: There host are idiots.....

I find this to be the most common reasons for your issue. You need to say something....if you don't it is possible no one will....bummer for them and us really...because some other good biker will come along and want to email them.

I agree....why have it and not use it. It is like having a phone and not answering it....

It is a problem with people being scared of technology....they need to assign the email to a guy in the shop that is 18...I bet he has email on his phone....lol

Woodlark

Bebop has an email link on their site labeled "Ask and it shall be answered". I asked and it wasn't!

George

Jamis is the same way. I asked for touch up paint and no response after 3 e-mails.

RockyMtnMerlin

At least Vetta replies. Relacement batteries for HR monitor = $3.00 (not bad for the longer lasting battery) - shipping $9.00 I emailed them to complain about the shipping price; they said that should not be and they said they would send me two batteries. That was two weeks ago.

Bud Bent

Lots of people never check their email. On the other hand, you can get a message to some people faster with email than playing phone tag.

Bill Kapaun

I was having a problem with a business and getting very frustrated because they weren't returning my emails.
Turns out one of my filters was blocking them. I felt rather foolish!

Now how come Speacilized hasn't sent me a catalog I've requested 3 times???

OrangeOkie

Call them on the telephone and talk to a live person. It's a lost art in our techno-age. he he

biffstephens

Thank god it is lost....I hate talking on the telephone.....getting a credit card and address over a phone is so unsecure as well..

DnvrFox

How often do you get to talk to a "live" person when you phone a business - really?

After six levels of voice mail "push the button" and now we have "intelligent voices" speak to use

"Answer 'yes' or 'no."

"Say one, two three, four or five"

"Repeat that so that I can help you."

And in frustration, I start pressing the zero button - "That is not one of the available options."

I MUCH prefer email. I can write it when I want (i.e., 2:00 am) and they can answer when they want. And it is in writing, and I can hold them to it, instead of "I never promised that . . . "

I hate the phone - "Oh, he is with a customer and will call you back." Then, when I get home from dinner out, the red light on the answering machine is blinking, and on and on into the phone tag game.

No phones for me.

Digital Gee

I'm with Denver.

And, nothing irks me more than the voice saying at the very beginning, "For English, press 1."

Shouldn't that be the default???

Bill Kapaun

" And, nothing irks me more than the voice saying at the very beginning, "For English, press 1."
Shouldn't that be the default???"

How long do you want to wait while they list the other options?

Woodlark

Sending credit card info in an email is a lot more unsecure than over a phone!