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Leica Management Should Read This


barjohn

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There were stories in the UK press at Christmas about people who had ordered presents from online retailers and not received the goods in time for Christmas. One of the companies began with the letter 'A' and their name was a South American river.

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And was it the A company's fault or the shipping company's failure to deliver or due to a last minute order? Here (in the US), UPS and FEDEX had problems due to extreme weather in making promised deliveries. While no one executes perfectly every time, especially when you are handling $15 Billion worth of orders, it is the attitude and willingness to make things right that counts.

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There were stories in the UK press at Christmas about people who had ordered presents from online retailers and not received the goods in time for Christmas. One of the companies began with the letter 'A' and their name was a South American river.

 

And I was one of them! This is also the business that in switching its shipping away from Royal Mail to cheaper options has pi**ed me off good and proper since it is now impossible to predict when their cheap white van deliveries will come and when they will return.

 

I suggest that Leica do not emulate Amazons concern for profit rather than customers.

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OK, so some New York Times staffer lives in a bad neighbourhood, got his package stolen and Amazon replaced it.

 

I think Leica's response to the initial problems with the M8 went much further than fixing a shipping SNAFU. Thanks possibly to Stephen K Lee's US background, the 30% lens discount offer and the free two filters scheme were examples of the same customer ethic - recognising there are problems and going the extra mile to fix them.

 

I am no apologist for Leica but they are a tiny company in relation to Amazon, Nikon, Canon and the rest. I'm trying to think of a UK/US company the size of Leica which has as technically complex a product to sell to consumers and yet achieves the same global reach as Leica does. Nothing so far.

 

Time to wake up and smell the coffee: the M8 was designed on a shoe-string at a time when the company was on the brink and it's a wonder it works as well as it does. Me, I'm looking forward to the M9 which I hope will incorporate all that 20/20 hindsight gleaned from "Project M8".

 

The columist was right about one thing though. Apple customer service is dismal. Just don't get me started on Dell...

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I saw this article in the New York Times and thought, maybe Leica management needs to read this. It really is how to build and grow a long term business.

 

Put Buyers First? What a Concept http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/05/technology/05nocera.html?th&emc=th :D

 

They year has 365 days, why must you order something important in the week before you need it ?

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"Unrealistic expectations" is the expression that comes to mind. It's great when a company meets with your selfish expectations but unrealistic to expect a company to provide instant gratification to all its customers.

I have a couple of replies to difficult clients in IT.

You can have it yesterday if you supply the time machine.

For those who insist on a feature in a Microsoft product to suit themselves.

(usually found by using F1)

Its a publicly listed company you could always buy it.

 

Just think how much cheaper Leica would be.

but then you would have to justify your preferences to this forum!

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Hmm, there is another point to bear in mind. If I order something and its delivered to another address, signed for by another person, as far as I'm concerned the contract hasn't been fulfilled. Presumably the arrangement wasn't that the parcel would be left with the neighbour.

 

It would be hard to see how Amazon could not have to replace it if the complaint was taken further.

 

If I was a cynic I could also imagine "do this and I'll get some good press for you in the NYT, I'm a journo there".

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