Grrr. I am annoyed. As I spend many hours working on e-commerce sites for people it really annoys me when an e-commerce site gets it badly wrong. Ordered a dinghy this week from online company http://www.funkycrab.co.uk/ specifying a Friday delivery date in “special instructions”  and after receiving my “order confirmation” by email I duly waited for my goods to arrive. As today’s post and other deliveries came and went I thought I’d give them a call just to check all was well…

Alarm bells started to ring when on calling the number I reached (what appeared to be) an answerphone for a specific lady (not very professional). After leaving my message, the lady phoned me back within the hour (a little better).  However, she then proceeded to tell me that although she received my order she hadn’t received payment from Paypal and because of this hadn’t shipped my order…aargh. A few problems with this (other budding e-commerce entrepreneurs please note):

1. It is not the customers responsibility? – why should the customer not be able to accept that an order confirmation from the company is a guarantee that all is well. Apparently, I should have received 2 confirmations, one from PayPal and one from the company. Obviously, if I had have thought about this in a little more detail maybe I should (with my experience) have expected this  but really, a normal customer..I don’t think so.
2. The customer is always King – Accepted, a lot of e-commerce vendors out there are small (sometimes just one person) with aspirations of being and appearing bigger. However, no matter how small you are customer service is paramount. This begins with the “after-sales” follow-up, i.e. if you don’t receive the normal confirmations, why not contact the customer just to check all is OK? This committment to customer then continues through to how calls are answered. Clearly my experience shows that many vendors have a long way to go.
3. Mistakes happen – deal with it – Obviously, I understand that mistakes happen. I certainly have made enough in my time and probably will continue to do so. However, when they do, isn’t it better to try to placate with an aplogy and an offer of compensation? Taking a defensive stand is never a good option and I have sometimes ended a difficult call with a better relationship purely because of the way i have handled it.

So there you go. I love e-commerce and if i could think of something I’d really like to sell I’d have a go myself. But the same basic rules of customer service apply. Shortcuts not allowed. Rant over. Now where did I put that Argos catalogue…

I have recently been working on the website for the former Cabinet Minister Jonathan Aitken, which has been a real honour and joy. For those of you who have either forgotten or are too young to remember Jonathan Aitken’s life took quite a dramatic change of direction when he lie on oath in a libel action. He subsequently pleaded guilty to charges of perjury and served a seven-month prison sentence in 1999. After leaving prison he took a course in Theology at one of the Church of England’s Theological foremost training colleges, Wycliffe Hall in Oxford and is now a prolific writer, broadcaster and lecturer.

As well as the public engagements he is involved in a number of other activities such as being a director of Prison Fellowship International, executive director of The Trinity Forum in Europe; and Honorary President of Christian Solidarity Worldwide. In 2007 he was appointed Chairman of the Centre for Social Justice’s policy study group on Prison Reform.

Personally, I have the utmost admiration and respect for the man. Why don’t you take a look at his site. Read his blog and make your own mind up.