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I’m probably not the only one, but I’ve noticed an increasingly disturbing trend in American business over the past decade or so.  We’ve gone from an atmosphere where the “customer is always right”—where the ultimate goal of almost any business was to satisfy and retain the business of as much of the target market as possible—to….something else. 

 

Cases in point:

 

• When is the last time you felt your cell phone carrier was working hard to retain your business?  I’ve blogged about this before (right Mom?).  But it almost appears that the universal marketing model for cell phone carriers focuses solely on new business, while treating existing customers with something resembling contempt.

 

• I’m still waiting to hear good things about some of the largest and most profitable cable and satellite TV carriers.  Spend any quality time on the phone with yours lately?  Impressed with the service and efficiency?  Were you given a window of “Sunday AM until next Spring” as a window for installation? I’m willing to bet they’ve followed the numbers-based approach that suggests minimal organizational emphasis on customer service and training.

 

• Please complete the following sentence.  “My credit card lender is ___________.”

 

a.       A trusted advisor

b.      Loyal, consistent and friendly

c.       A provider of value and service

d.      A !@#$%^  arrogant plague upon my very existence

 

I’ve yet to see another business model that brazenly penalizes the best and longest standing customers for the failings of its worst customers and own bad decisions or gambles.  My recent rate hike, in spite of a spotless record and “Excellent” credit rating, came with the simple explanation of “profitablity.”   And yet, many of the largest credit card lenders are busy selling more snake oil (“credit protection services,” new cards, cash advances, etc.) with the same hands that are raising interest rates and penalizing their best customers.  Wow!

 

·    How about this one?  In my home state of Ohio, a large utility provider recently decided it would offer all of its customers two energy-efficient light bulbs.  They’d even deliver these (by hand, in some cases).  Such a deal, no?  Well…no.

 

Although I’m oversimplifying this a bit, said energy company would also be charging customers almost $20 for these bulbs.  And the best part?  The customers had no option to turn these down—they would receive them like it or not, and be charged over the course of their next several bills.  This is not to mention that, after public outcry delayed the distribution of these lovely “gifts,” the energy company still plans to press ahead with its plan if and when the public utilities commission approves it.  Wow!  What a way to build a brand.

 

 

Look, I get that there is more to each of these stories than I’ve been able to convey in this already-too-lengthy post.  Maybe I’ve oversimplified things.  But I’m willing to bet that my summaries are what the customers remember.  Notice that most of the offending businesses are large ones.  And while I’m sure they have real reasons for what they do, beyond just pissing off their customers, I also sense a bit of organizational stasis, or even arrogance.  They should probably remember (and we should ALL probably remember) that, in spite of what the all-powerful Fed tells us, NO business is too big to fail.  Not when it pushes its customers too far away.  Although some aloof CEOs might tell you otherwise, businesses are not entitled to their profits.  The successful ones that live a long time are the ones that remember that they need to earn it.