| GREETINGS FROM DON |
DEAR READER,In my never-ending search to find and promote the best customer service, here’s At the end of the story you’ll find a customer service lesson which I hope you will take to heart - for the sake of your customer and your business! Sincerely, |
SAVING $50 TODAY COULD COST YOU $100,000 TOMORROWIt is always tempting to apply for store credit cards in retail establishments like Brooks Brothers, GAP, J.C. Penney, Macy’s, etc. There is always the lure of getting 10 percent or 15 percent or more when you use the card the first time. However, you should be aware that these store credit cards can have high interest rates and other disadvantages. Here’s an interesting article about the dangers to your credit score of applying for too many store credit cards and how one customer had to pay a much higher mortgage rate because she opened too many new store cards: www.credit.com. |
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For more information about Don’s book, visit www.brigantinemedia.com |
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Don is represented by Speaking of Business. To get more information about Don’s presentations, topics, availability or fees, please contact Ruth Raphel at 609-348-6646 or e-mail Ruth at ruth@raphel.com.
211 NORTH AVE. |
a story to remind us all what top-notch customer service is all about... and what it isn’t about. 
Don Gallegos is the author of “Win the Customer, Not the
BROOKS BROTHERS' CREDIT CARD IS A DOWNSCALE EXPERIENCE
A friend had this experience with Brooks Brothers that shows how every contact with a company – even when it’s a separate company that handles your credit card – can impact your relationship with your customer. Here’s the story in her words:“I received a bill from Brooks Brothers for a purchase I made in the previous month. The bill said there were ‘2 payments due’ and added a big fee because the previous bill hadn’t been paid.
“But here’s the catch: I had never received the bill that they said I didn’t pay. And the reason I knew it was a trick was that this was the second time they did this. A couple of months earlier, after I had made a different purchase at Brooks Brothers, they also did not send me a bill until it was already overdue, adding a big fee to the balance. That time I paid it. This time I got mad.
“The credit card company for Brooks Brothers is GE Money Bank (sometimes you’ll see it on your bill as “GEMB”). If you Google it, you’ll find many discussion boards where people are ranting about their problems with this credit company – all worse than mine.
“I called GEMB, which took several tries through an automated system to finally talk to a live person. She told me she couldn’t help and referred me to Brooks Brothers’ customer service number. Once I got that person on the phone, I let her have my full wrath. She finally removed all the charges and at my request cancelled the card.
“I’ve since discovered that my new JC Penney card was also through GEMB. They did the exact same thing – sent me my first bill saying I had already missed a payment. Like a dope, I paid that late charge, too. But once I saw this happen with my Brooks Brothers card, I got wise and cancelled the JC Penney account, too.
“So now I have resolved not to shop at JC Penney (no big sacrifice for me, but they are one of the few retailers near my very remote location) or Brooks Brothers, which is much sadder because my husband and son love their no-iron shirts. But I’ll find a similar product elsewhere, I’m sure.
“I called Brooks Brothers’ customer service to report my dissatisfaction with GEMB, but the representative seemed totally unconcerned. She would not let me talk to a supervisor and was dismissive.”
THE POINT BEING
Companies need to understand that everything done in their name reflects on the company, and you need to know how your customers are treated in all encounters. Whether it’s with floor salespeople, an Internet order taker, or your store credit card company, every transaction relating to your company reflects on you. Neglect any part of that long enough and you lose customers.