blackrimglasses.com

I just had a situation which pisses me off, and I’m not one that often gets pissed off at technology. For one, I willingly put myself in the bleeding edge situation, so I’m used to beta software, bumps along the way, early adopter pains, etc.

However, innocently I click the “voicemail” tab on my iPhone because I know I missed a call from Seattle this morning. Suddenly, I have 39 voicemail. I used to have ten. The voicemail date back four weeks, include lots of important calls (the phone never rang), including our CEO who I had called while I was in New York City.

My frustration boiled over and I have a strong desire to call someone and yell about this. But who could I call? The phone tree hell of AT&T? The dead ends of Apple? Gan?

And this of course makes me think of all the blood boiling situations in the past six months. And guess what? Here are the companies involved:

• Apple Retail (Apple phone/email has been great, mostly) – shorting out power adapter for one of our Mac Book Pro’s, wont’ replace without seeing the machine. I don’t know which machine it was.
• Verizon – need to reset my password. No, I don’t have a cell phone. No, I can’t use the VZW connect to get an SMS sent to a broadband card because I’m on a Mac. Yes, your software doesn’t work on Mac’s. Yes, Mac’s are supported.
• AT&T - Your Option USB Broadband stick does not work well. No, I can’t do a firmware upgrade, the software only works on PC’s. Yes, you do advertise it works on Mac’s. No, I can’t gain access to a PC.
• Sprint - my Palm Pre is not activated. Yes, I do have it with me. Yes I do. Here is the IMEI.
• T-Mobile - I want to get a MyTouch. I know it extends the contract. No, I don’t want to cancel the number, I’m replacing the G1. Yes, same number as the G1. Just send me the phone.
• United Airlines - I paid for Economy Plus, where is my seat?
• Charter Communications - My Internet has been out for five hours. Yes, you will honor my SLA. No, the fact that I use a Mac is not the culprit.
• 4by6.com - You sent my baby’s birth announcements to a place I haven’t lived at in five years. Yes, I put the right address in. No, your software ate it.
• Westin Maui - Yes, I paid for a deluxe room. I did not pay for a dirty room over looking a parking lot.
• Orbitz - see above.

I’m sick and tired of it.

I spend a lot of money, not because I want to, but because I expect the money I spent to translate into a service I’ll use. To be treated with such hostile contempt by those that accept my money willingly is insulting.

Some companies get it. Zappos has this embedded into their culture. Nordstroms, Amazon, Virgin America, Jet Blue, Southwest Airlines and my auto-dealer do as well.

But most do not. I would expect, given that the distance between reaction and action is so infinitesimal in a twitter/Facebook/blog saturated world, that all the companies above would have consumer outreach, advocates, etc to sooth the savage geek, make things right. No, it is utter contempt for the fact that I expect service. That I am an intelligent consumer. That I ask questions. These seem to be reasons for the disdain. Never mind the monetary transaction that already occurred. How dare I find fault?

Tell you what: I will not stop buying your products. I will not stop sending hundreds of dollars a month to you. But I think its time the consumers take back control of our own experience and align it to what we expect as a result of a monetary transaction.

Buy stock. Go to the shareholders meetings. Hold companies accountable not as consumers but investors.

Mistreated by a hotel? Look up the number of the General Manager. Leave them a message.

Find the CEO’s number. Call until you get a response.

And for the inward facing: I am partially responsible for consumer and fan web properties. I aspire to create things that don’t piss people off. We get better and better. I hope that others in my shoes do the same as well, and I hope others hold me as accountable as I feel others should be held.

I feel better having screamed now. Thanks.