Category Archives: customer service

Craigslist realtors, get a clue

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Recently I was in the market for a new apartment. Like all people, I checked Craigslist first to see what I could find.

In the process, I learned two things.

First, I found out that Craigslist is not the way to go. There are some wacky people out there. Instead, even if you’re just looking for an apartment or duplex, find yourself a good realtor.

Second, and more apropos to this blog, I discovered that many realtors on Craigslist (and some who aren’t) have terrible skills in the following areas:

  • photography, especially when it comes to images of apartment interiors (one actually posted photos of the corner of a closet);
  • photo editing (these folks need Aspect Ratios for Dummies);
  • making their contact information easily available (I want copy/pasteable text, not one huge blurry jpeg);
  • client interaction (seriously, if I don’t call you right back, it’s not a good idea to call, text and email constantly like a jilted lover);
  • effective communication (don’t tell me you “called 100s of places” in a single afternoon, because I’m not going to believe you);

and the worst offense of all:

  • atrocious web design

Holy HTML Batman. These people are in sales?

Admittedly, there’s a certain grassroots style that comes with Craigslist. Long ago I came to the conclusion that having good grammar and correct spelling in a Craigslist ad goes against tradition. Maybe it’s meant as a rejection of corporate, slick sales sites, I don’t know. So I can handle weak CL postings. But if I click on a business URL, I do expect the quality to improve. I expect, at the very minimum, to be directed to a site that explains the realtor’s services, the kinds of properties/clients they handle, and basic contact information. Bells and whistles like property searches, photos, or MLS listings are nice, but not essential.

Sadly, most of the Craigslist realtors failed on even basic navigation and information, and design was apparently something they put on their Amazon wish list.

So I guess this is a lesson to all entrepreneurs of any profession. If you’re trying to win over clients, spend a few minutes (and maybe a few bucks) on your web presence (p.s. WordPress is free!). Oh, and don’t act clingy and desperate when potential clients call.

That’s not too much to ask, is it?

By the way, if you’re looking for an apartment in Austin, I recommend Nanette at Rock ‘N’ Realty, who does not resemble in any way the people I just described. She’s awesome, and does everything right… including saving you from crazy Craigslist realtors and finding you a great place to live!

Leave Gmail and Facebook alone. Really.

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Steve Jobs may have recently emailed a student saying, “Please leave us alone”, but other companies appear to mean it.

I’m talking about Google and Facebook. Ever have a problem with your Facebook account? Or, as I experienced today, a problem with Gmail? Try to find an email or link or anything that will lead you to a real live person for customer service or troubleshooting.

Go ahead. I’ll wait. See if you can find one.

No? It’s not surprising. Both companies have millions of loyal users. Users who, it could be argued, rely heavily on these web services for both personal and business needs. And yet neither company makes customer service readily available to their users.

I’ve come to rely on Gmail for email, and usually it’s flawless. However, over the past couple of days there were indications that something was wonky. At first it was signing up for an email newsletter, and never receiving the first issue. Next it was receiving an email from someone who said they had tried to contact me without success. Since I’m always on top of emails (in fact, with an iPhone, my attention to email borders on the obsessive), I figured that they had sent it to the wrong address or something.

It was only when I received an irate email from a colleague and friend asking why I was ignoring her requests for information that I realized something was wrong.

I have several different Gmail accounts forwarded to a single primary account. These include email addresses associated with two of my domains (including this one). When it dawned on me that emails might be going astray, I tried logging into the Gmail account that seemed to be causing the problem. Although Google allowed me in, it then forced me to create a new Gmail account to tie to that account. When I did so, although it showed the previous email account in my settings, it did not give me access to any of the hundreds of emails in that account. When I finally accessed the account through my hosting provider’s webmail (something I’ve never had to do before), I found a whole bunch of emails that had never been forwarded to me, stretching back several days.

The best I can figure, Gmail decided on a whim to stop forwarding the emails to my primary account without any action on my part, and without any heads up from Gmail.

The worst part, though, was trying to figure out what went wrong or how to fix it, and Gmail sure didn’t make it easy. They have two options in their Help section: a confusing FAQ that never seems to have a relevant topic, or posting a question in a forum that’s crowdsourced (meaning random people might answer – if you’re lucky – rather than anyone in Google’s employ). The help site suggests that “In some cases, you’ll be able to email us if you’re still experiencing trouble after following the steps outlined,” but I can’t find anywhere that lists an email address or contact information for support. Their “contacting support” link at the bottom of the page just circles you back to the FAQ and Help forum.

Okay I can hear the argument. You get what you pay for. Gmail is free. You can’t expect them to provide customer service to millions of non-paying customers. For that matter, the same argument works for Facebook.

So these companies provide these services for free, and encourage millions of people to use them, and all along they’re essentially saying: use at your own risk?

I’m sorry, that just seems wrong to me. These companies make millions from ad revenue, thanks to all of our eyeballs on their sites. With that in mind, is it really too much to ask for a real contact email, a customer service rep, a support ticket system – anything that would involve someone in the company working to help you solve a problem?

When it comes to email, Steve Jobs may not be warm and fuzzy, but damn it if Apple doesn’t have some of the best customer service out there.

And you can email them.