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Two lessons about customer care learned from OS/2

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Two lessons about customer care learned from OS/2

from JoeUser Forums

 

Over the last decade we’ve presented a bit of a mixed message regarding customer care. 

On the one hand, we have broad customer-friendly policies such as very liberal refunds, long-term software support and post-purchase support.

We learned the above lesson from OS/2: Treat your customers as gods because customer loyalty really matters.  I’ve written the details of why we do this here. But the short version is that customer loyalty can make the difference between business survival and death.

…But on the other hand…

I am often very vocal about telling individual customers to go away. And this lesson was learned from OS/2 as well.

You can never appease a zealot. Do not try. Once you discover someone is a zealot, there is no way to win them over and the energy and time you spend trying to win them over is time you could be spending helping more reasonable people. Our policy since we left the OS/2 market is to identify zealots and try to gently (or not so gently) guide them out the door once they have decided that we haven’t lived up to some impossible bar of integrity they have imagined for us.

The OS/2 market had a lot of zealots and when the market started to disintegrate in the late nineties, it became pretty clear that a lot of those zealots expected us to go down with the ship. Because Stardock’s culture formed around the concept of treating people better (i.e. we’ll treat people “right”) , we continued to invest scarce resources in OS/2 software all the way into 1999 largely just to appease these people. We never did. We were “traitors” for making Windows software too.

It took us a long time to understand that these people weren’t buying our products or services because they thought we made good stuff but because we were part of their own “cause” they were fighting in their head and once we had failed in their mind, only a damaging, but purely symbolic, sacrifice on our part would appease them.

And so we try to do right by doing good. That is, make good stuff, price it reasonably and keep our customers happy. And we’ve done pretty well at that over the years.  At the same time, there will always be individuals who will never be appeased and the best path is to cut to the chase and give them their options: Accept things as they are or vote with your wallet and go elsewhere.  It’s a delicate balance but one that I think has, in the bigger scheme of things, has served us well.

149,620 views 59 replies
Reply #51 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Actually I use a DiNovo Edge keyboard....it's quality is peerless.  [it's by Logitech].  My G25 Steering wheel and pedals is likewise, but my Joystick and throttle is Saitek ....the mouse is the MS bit...;)

Reply #52 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Jafo, reply 51
Actually I use a DiNovo Edge keyboard....it's quality is peerless.  [it's by Logitech].  My G25 Steering wheel and pedals is likewise, but my Joystick and throttle is Saitek ....the mouse is the MS bit...
End of Jafo's quote

Ya I don't do logitech. I went through lets see.. I went through 1 keyboard/controller combo and 1 controller for the PS2 and 3 or 4 different PC controllers, all which were of horrible quality and died on me rather quickly. I figure logitech took enough of my money for substandard products. :grin: The only way I would use one of their products again is if it was free or bought for me by someone else, it would be crazy for me to spend my money on another logitech product after my experience with them.

Whether or not all their products are that way doesn't concern me.. since in my mind its a gamble when dealing with logitech given my past experience. I see it as neither bad decision making nor unfair given I spent a few hundred dollars on logitech products which didn't live up to basic expectations of functioning longer than a few months.

Multiplicity - Control multiple PCs using one keyboard and mouse
Reply #53 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Fistalis, reply 52
Whether or not all their products are that way doesn't concern me.. since in my mind its a gamble when dealing with logitech given my past experience. I see it as neither bad decision making nor unfair given I spent a few hundred dollars on logitech products which didn't live up to basic expectations of functioning longer than a few months.
End of Fistalis's quote

Yep, that's the attitude arrived at through local experience that robs you of the opportunity to use/be aware of a particularly well-made product.

In that instance it's a bad decision though entirely understandable....;)

Reply #54 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Jafo, reply 53

Quoting Fistalis, reply 52Whether or not all their products are that way doesn't concern me.. since in my mind its a gamble when dealing with logitech given my past experience. I see it as neither bad decision making nor unfair given I spent a few hundred dollars on logitech products which didn't live up to basic expectations of functioning longer than a few months.

Yep, that's the attitude arrived at through local experience that robs you of the opportunity to use/be aware of a particularly well-made product.

In that instance it's a bad decision though entirely understandable....
End of Jafo's quote

Wait so i should base my decision on your personal experience? Your experience is some how more valid than mine? Its a bad decision how? Because it doesn't line up with your personal views? How could buying another logitech product be a good decision given that every logitech product I have ever owned was shoddy.

 

I don't get your logic that its somehow a bad decision to not buy logitech products given that I have no assurance of quality, and past experience with them has been so negative. Simply because of your personal experience? Interesting your willing to base your Opinion of their products on your personal experience but think its a bad decision for me to do the same.

Reply #55 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Fistalis, reply 54
Wait so i should base my decision on your personal experience? Your experience is some how more valid than mine? Its a bad decision how? Because it doesn't line up with your personal views? How could buying another logitech product be a good decision given that every logitech product I have ever owned was shoddy.



I don't get your logic that its somehow a bad decision to not buy logitech products given that I have no assurance of quality, and past experience with them has been so negative. Simply because of your personal experience? Interesting your willing to base your Opinion of their products on your personal experience but think its a bad decision for me to do the same.
End of Fistalis's quote

Good heavens, man...don't get all uptight.

The reality is that your experience is NOT universal and thus totally and forever reliable.

My experience proves that and, I am certain does others'.

There are ALSO very likely squillions of people with the same poor history with Logitech as your own, but that only means your decision to permanently avoid Logitech is both myopic and insular.

Had you the same experiences [with them] as I you'd be madly willing to purchase from them more....and who knows?... maybe you will THEN strike a poor product..... but the fact remains your experience of their product is only representational of your experience...not of everyone's...which makes their avoidance less than totally justifiable.

Reply #56 from WinCustomize Forums Top

3 philosophers are on a train to Scotland.....they cross the border and see one black sheep in a field.

The first philosopher states..."Look...all the sheep in Scotland are black".

The second says "No, from observation we can deduce that at least one of the sheep in Scotland is black".

The third philosopher looks up calmly and says "No, all we can really deduce from this is that at least one sheep in Scotland is black...on at least one of its sides".

One person's interpretation of a reality does not make it true.

Reply #57 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Jafo, reply 55

Quoting Fistalis, reply 54Wait so i should base my decision on your personal experience? Your experience is some how more valid than mine? Its a bad decision how? Because it doesn't line up with your personal views? How could buying another logitech product be a good decision given that every logitech product I have ever owned was shoddy.



I don't get your logic that its somehow a bad decision to not buy logitech products given that I have no assurance of quality, and past experience with them has been so negative. Simply because of your personal experience? Interesting your willing to base your Opinion of their products on your personal experience but think its a bad decision for me to do the same.

Good heavens, man...don't get all uptight.

The reality is that your experience is NOT universal and thus totally and forever reliable.

My experience proves that and, I am certain does others'.

There are ALSO very likely squillions of people with the same poor history with Logitech as your own, but that only means your decision to permanently avoid Logitech is both myopic and insular.

Had you the same experiences [with them] as I you'd be madly willing to purchase from them more....and who knows?... maybe you will THEN strike a poor product..... but the fact remains your experience of their product is only representational of your experience...not of everyone's...which makes their avoidance less than totally justifiable.
End of Jafo's quote

So explain to me how the market is supposed to work if consumers continue to patronize companies who sell them inferior products. I understand that my experience isn't universal. But you seem to think that I should continue buying from a company that has continually provided me with shoddy products. Thats what I don't get.

My point is and remains.. that its neither a bad decision nor is it unreasonable to avoid a companies products if you have found them to be sub par. How is me avoiding their products less than totally justifiable? How much money am I supposed to spend on faulty products before it becomes fully justifiable? Do i have to go through their entire product line up before I can justify not purchasing their products? sure thats what they would like.. but why shouldn't anyone be justified to avoid a companies products after 2 or 3 purchases.. 4? 5? how many before you consider it justifiable for a person to avoid a companies products???? Is it never justified.. should people ignore the fact that previous purchases were wasted money and continue to forever patronize companies whom sell them inferior products??

I should continue spending my hard earned money supporting a company that doesn't consistently control the quality of products? Seriously I just don't get what your suggesting.

(I'm not being up tight I'm just trying to figure out your stance on this.. because to me it seems like you think no matter how many crappy products a company sells a person, you expect that person to continue to buy that companies products)

Reply #58 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Fistalis, reply 57
because to me it seems like you think no matter how many crappy products a company sells a person, you expect that person to continue to buy that companies products
End of Fistalis's quote

No....more a case of try to retain an open mind....perhaps look at specific opinions and feedback from others [what actually makes the Net useful] and from THAT determine [along with personal history] whether extending 'trust' once more is likely worth it.

As I said...your stance is understandable, but it still just may see you missing something that actually was/is/could be 'good' by ANYONE's standards...;)

Reply #59 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

There are people who have good luck with any given company's product(s) and those who have bad luck. The real point, is that Quality Control does not test every single single product. They test rough;y a 10 percent random sample, 20 percent for Military Specification, unless the contractor specifies 100 percent.

I have had 2 Epson printers, a laser and an inkjet. The laser was a really bad experience, and the inkjet lasted exactly 1 year. Conversely, I have had excellent luck with HP printers and my only Canon inkjet so far.

It is called the luck of the draw.