Saturday, February 28, 2015

Do Customers Today Have Totally Unrealistic Expectations?


Do customers have unrealistic expectations when it comes to customer service? That's the subject of today's article about customer service from one of the world's largest companies. I thought about this quite a bit today as I came across a few negative complaints on social media, the Walmart page on a complaints website, and even on their company Twitter account.

We can use Walmart as an example, but I believe this applies to almost every company. Most of the issues customers have with this giant chain involve basic cleanliness and maintenance problems. This is like many customer expectations today. But in Walmart's case some consumers take this a bit to far. Read on...

Do you Walmart department store customers expect too much? Read this complaint...


Michael Campbell obviously has issues with his local Arizona Walmart.

Walmart offers a place for customers to submit feedback online, but it still doesn't seem like it's enough for people like Michael. 

The problem is that they take these issues so seriously that they feel personally responsible for correcting them.

Notice in his complaint Mr. Campbell states specifically the number of times he's tried to fix a leaking water fountain. Saying that he reported it a month ago and it's still leaking today. That means he regularly checks this problem at his local Walmart store.

Customers like this are difficult to deal with because they have unrealistic expectations in my opinion. You don't know the full details of his complaint. Maybe the problem is barely enough to cause a health issue, or maybe it is scheduled for repair the next day.

A giant billion dollar corporation like Walmart shouldn't have to worry about every customer inspecting every square in of their store, should they?

Still, Michael Campbell isn't alone when he reaches out for help. Each day thousands of customers visit Walmart department stores across the country, the facts about the company are mind-blowing.

We all have opinions. How can we tell when those opinions are out of control?

There is a reason why I see upset consumers every day all around the internet, many of them just like Michael. They have a complaint and don't know where to turn.

Maybe if companies like Walmart made it easier to provide real time feedback, problems like this would be fixed before a complaint could be formed.

I would ask all of you who are emailing or calling the customer service department to take a step back. Is your beef really worth all the hassle? Or are you just another consumer who is overreacting about a leaking water fountain like Michael.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.