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I find this story very interesting could be worthy of reading for anyone
dealing with customer complaints. The subject of this case study is to analyze
anything thoroughly before coming for a conclusion. This is a nice case study.
Vanilla Ice Cream that puzzled General motors. An Interesting Story Never
underestimate your Clients' Complaint, no matter how funny it might seem! This
is a real story that happened between the customer of General Motors and its
Customer-Care Executive. Pls read on.....
A complaint was received by the Pontiac Division of General Motors:
'This is the second time I have written to you, and I don't blame you for not
answering me, because I sounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a
tradition in our family of Ice-Cream for dessert after dinner each night, but
the kind of ice cream varies so, every night, after we've eaten, the whole
family votes on which kind of ice cream we should have and I drive down to the
store to get it. It's also a fact that I recently purchased a new Pontiac and
since then my trips to the store have created a problem...... You see, every
time I buy a vanilla ice-cream, when I start back from the store my car won't
start. If I get any other kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine. I want
you to know I'm serious about this question, no matter how silly it sounds
"What is there about a Pontiac that makes it not start when I get vanilla ice
cream, and easy to start whenever I get any other kind?" The Pontiac President
was understandably skeptical about the letter, but sent an Engineer to check it
out anyway.
The latter was surprised to be greeted by a successful, obviously well educated
man in a fine neighborhood. He had arranged to meet the man just after dinner
time, so the two hopped into the car and drove to the ice cream store. It was
vanilla ice cream that night and, sure enough, after they came back to the car,
it wouldn't start.
The Engineer returned for three more nights. The first night, they got
chocolate. The car started. The second night, he got strawberry. The car
started. The third night he ordered vanilla. The car failed to start. Now the
engineer, being a logical man, refused to believe that this man's car was
allergic to vanilla ice cream. He arranged, therefore, to continue his visits
for as long as it took to solve the problem. And toward this end he began to
take notes: He jotted down all sorts of data: time of day, type of gas uses,
time to drive back and forth etc. In a short time, he had a clue: the man took
less time to buy vanilla than any other flavor. Why? The answer was in the
layout of the store. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor, was in a separate
case at the front of the store for quick pickup. All the other flavors were
kept in the back of the store at a different counter where it took considerably
longer to check out the flavor.
Now, the question for the Engineer was why the car wouldn't start when it took
less time. Eureka - Time was now the problem not the vanilla ice cream!!!! The
engineer quickly came up with the answer: "vapor lock".
It was happening every night; but the extra time taken to get the other
flavors allowed the engine to cool down sufficiently to start. When the man got
vanilla, the engine was still too hot for the vapor lock to dissipate.
Even crazy looking problems are sometimes real and all problems seem to be
simple only when we find the solution, with cool thinking.
What really matters is your attitude and your perception
A Thought: "If your ship dosen't come in, swim out to it"
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