Several months ago I wrote about how American Express was unwilling to credit me the $45 annual membership fee on my Starwood Preferred Guest American Express card, knowing they would lose over $500 in merchant generated fees a year from me using that card.
Eventually I did get the credit (plus an extra $50 for my troubles), but it took canceling the card, to finally catch the attention of someone at American Express who realized losing $500 per year wasn’t worth gaining a measly $45 annual membership fee.
Now just recently I experience a very similar problem with my cable internet provider (Charter Communications).
When Charter wanted to raise my monthly fee to $69.98 per month, I balked, and got them to agree to a charge equivalent to Verizon FIOS service + $2 more ($44.98/month). I agreed to the extra $2 per month, because service was good, and it was worth $2 per month not having to switch providers.
But the next month I received a bill for $47.64. Apparently because I didn’t call them the instant my bill was increased, I was charged the $69.98 rate for the 3 or so days I was late calling.
Now that wasn’t what I had agreed to. I wasn’t willing to pay $69.98 per month for any length of time, but no matter how hard I tried, and I talked to 3 different people, no one would budge. I had to pay that extra $2.66, and there was no one in the company who could change that. That was policy, period. The customer service people wouldn’t even let me talk to anyone else, i.e supervisor etc.
In other words, they were willing to piss off a customer, and risk losing over $500 per year, in order to squeeze a mere $2.66 out of me.
Yes I realize $2.66 is not a lot of money, and I could easily afford it, but it was the principle involved. It wasn’t what I agreed to, and I wasn’t going to pay it. My principles are very important.
Eventually I did get the credit, plus a little extra for my hassles. I knew all along I would get the credit, because I have a friend who works for Charter. I just didn’t want to hassle him for such a measly item, and something that should have been taken care of at a much lower level.
But what about those who don’t have friends in such positions? Is business so great for Charter Communications they can risk alienating customers, and losing business?
It just continues to boggle my mind, when you consider how much competition there is in the credit card, and broadband communication businesses, that any business would try and alienate their customers, by implementing such inflexible policies.
Don’t they know without happy customers they don’t have a business?
