Hi,
Sounds almost identical to my situation. Before the rate increase from
$4.95 to $7.95, I signed up for my free week. I decided to join before my
week was up, but couldn't access the site because of something on their end.
When I could access again, my trial was up and it wouldn't let me join under
my current login/e-mail. So I joined with another, but never had access to
their alleged secure-server. All was well until they notified me of a rate
hike and offered me a year at the old $49 annual rate so I jumped. My first
credit card charges were for $4.95 two times for the same month, plus $49.00
three times. Seems that though they wouldn't let me join under the old
login, they took my money anyway. It took weeks to get it ironed out, and I
finally resorted to using the phone and thinly disguised threats. The only
e-mail responses I got were by auto-responder (bleck). I have yet to get
CEUs I signed up for in August.
Oh, and Part 2 of my Intro to VB class started before the 1st one was
finished. Duh. And nearly doubling the rates? I may not be the most
experienced ecommerce person on the block, but it seemed kind of outrageous.
Coincidentally, I'm taking the Intro to Ecommerce course there now, and
we're in a big discussion about their system, as well as problems we
students are having with beyond.com, the only source for our
downloadable-only book.
The lesson I learned was two-fold: 1) Don't put an e-mail address on your
site unless you're going to respond to your customers' complaints muy pronto
and personally; 2) Have a policy in place to somehow compensate people for
their time and energy wasted in such endeavors.
Are growing pains inevitable? Probably! But that doesn't mean screw the
customer. I'm patient, I guess, but this had better be the end of my woes.
It smacks of AOL's troubles with rapid growth and lack of infrastructure to
cope with it. Why this cover-up of their problems? If it were me, I'd post
in big red letters, "Sorry! We're having server problems." But, no, it's
"Oh, I don't know what the problem could be! We'll run a 'general
diagnostic'." Seems to be the party line for a lot of businesses online
these days, ignore or condescend to the customer.
Good luck,
Linda Wishman
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
webpenguin
Internet Services
Web sites that work for YOU!
http://www.webpenguin.com/
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Win prizes at http://www.linksnacks.com/
This month: Guess how many full-time employees we have
at the Minong plant and win a Jack Link's golf shirt!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> I just have to share the problems I've had signing up for a perl class at
> ZDU http://www.zdu.com/
<SNIP>
> Barry
>
____________________________________________________________________
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Join The NEW Web Consultants Association FORUMS and CHAT:
Register Today at: http://just4u.com/forums/
Web Consultants Web Site : http://just4u.com/webconsultants
Give the Gift of Life This Year...
Just4U Stop Smoking Support forum - helping smokers for
over three years-tell a friend: http://just4u.com/forums/
To get 500 Banner Ads for FREE
go to http://www.linkbuddies.com/start.go?id=111261
---------------------------------------------------------------------
