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May 06, 2016
The 5 Most Epic Customer Service Fails of All Time
In the age of customer-centricity, the idea of a customer service snafu going viral is a complete nightmare. Imagine one bad experience spreading uncontrollably across social media, and then suddenly your brand is frantically doing damage control to avoid a total erosion of trust and reputation. Yet the loss of brand trust and a damaged reputation are just the first effects of a viral customer service fail. If not properly addressed, and sometimes even despite your best efforts, it could lead to loss of revenue over time, negatively impacting the bottom line.
The good news is that positive and delightful customer experiences create brand loyalty. Customers are more likely to spend more and return when they have, and recall having, a great experience.
Here are five epic customer service fails that could have been avoided with the right understanding of customer experience.
1. Southwest Airlines told a man he was “too fat to fly”
In 2010, film director Kevin Smith was removed from an airplane after being told that he was “too fat to fly.” The captain considered Smith a safety risk and kicked him off the plane after he had already been seated. As a Hollywood presence, Smith had a considerable following on Twitter. So when he Tweeted about the situation, it went viral and attracted a good deal of media attention. Southwest Airlines had to issue an apology.
2. United refused to compensate man for damaged guitar
David Carroll was on a United Airlines flight in 2008 when his $3,500 custom guitar was damaged by baggage handlers on the tarmac. He alerted three employees, who allegedly ignored him. He filed a claim and was found ineligible for compensation because he was outside of the claim timeframe. Having nowhere else to turn, Carroll wrote a song about the experience. He uploaded the song and an accompanying music video to YouTube. When it got 150,000 views within one day, United finally contacted Carroll to try to right the wrong. The video went on to amass 15 million views by August 2015. [1]
3. Verizon continued to bill woman for dead father’s account
Source: Tampa Bay Times
When Cynthia Lacy’s father passed away in December of 2009, she got in touch with Verizon to cancel his cell phone account. Verizon refused to take any action because she could not supply his PIN number (all though she did send them her father’s death certificate). Furthermore, Verizon continued to bill her until March 2010. Lacy eventually went to the press with her story. It was only then that Verizon canceled the account and refunded her. [2]
4. Charter Communications threatened to fine tornado victims if they couldn’t find cable boxes
Source: Stop the Cap
In the aftermath of a series of tornadoes that tore through Alabama, Charter Communications, a cable company, advised victims to look around their neighborhood to locate their cable boxes. Charter Communications threatened the tornado victims with a $212 fine if they did not return their cable boxes. After complaints were voiced online, Charter Communications issued a statement that tornado victims would not be charged for lost boxes after all. [2]
5. Toyota delayed apologizing for a technical defect that left at least 34 people dead
2.3 million Toyota vehicles were recalled in the U.S. due to a pedal defect that resulted in at least 34 deaths. Toyota didn’t issue an apology until one week later and many people believed that that was too long to wait. [2]
References:
[1] "United Breaks Guitars," Wikipedia, [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Breaks_Guitars.
[2] "NIGHTMARE: 7 Customer Service Blunders That Went Viral," Business Insider. [Online].
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