My first job ever was in a grocery store. I started as a bagger, worked my way up "the ranks" to cashier and, lastly, to office cashier. (You know the girl who cashes checks and prints out lottery tickets? That was me.) I started at age 14 and ended my stint at 24, so I feel extremely well-schooled in the concept of customer service. I'm a bit of an idealist with regard to customer service.
As a separate side note (and critical to this mystery shopping expose), I am a magazine junkie. I have been reading magazines since I was 14, starting with the quintessential young girl read: Seventeen. I will keep the final tally of magazine subscriptions I get a mystery, but just know it is a lot. I will share with you my recent experience in trying to order a magazine from a discount seller online.
I will keep the seller's name anonymous. I had purchased a few subscriptions in the past and was pleased with the service overall. Last March (yes, March), I was renewing a magazine and added another for a sale price. I was told that I would start receiving the magazine in July. So I waited. And waited. It's now approaching November, and I still haven't received it.
I am pretty tenacious. I have followed up with phone calls, e-mails and many an expletive shouted in my own head. Monday, I e-mailed customer service and was notified that I would received my first issue no later than the end of this month. So, I will see what happens.
I've decided that when my subscription runs out, I won't be using the service again. But some people don't realize that buyers hold a lot of power. We can spend our money in a variety of shopping outlets. The small gestures of good customer service can translate to big bucks. It really is about "power to the people."
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