Lorfjord wrote:

And perhaps, in the future you could be more sensitive to the needs of your customers, and return their calls in a more timely fashion. I believe that it is normal that a customer gets upset, when they are ignored and monies have changed hands. And we as an 02 group would have never had to watch this debacle, in the first place. and since this is the personal attacks thread, I cant get any nicer.

I agree 110%. When I first started Seams Perfect, customer service was second to none. I used to be able to tell you the names, what year, and what colour 02, and most of the cities in which every one of my customers lived. Many of them had my cell phone number, and more than once, I pulled over to take a call on my way home from work. I once spent nearly half an hour on the phone, long distance to Puerto Rico, sitting in my 535i 4 blocks from my house.

Since then, things have changed. We got busier and busier, to the point that I could no longer personally take any phone calls. If I answered the phone while I was at the shop, my productivity went to hell, and then people were angry that their items weren't getting done in time. It's a double edged sword. So, I quit taking phone calls, and stayed working in the shop. Then I hired more staff, and expanded my business, to the point where I became a delegator, rather than a worker anymore. At that point, no time for phone calls, or email. It's a slippery slope.

Ultimately, what I need is a good counter person. Someone who can answer the phone, deal with customers, and make sure people are informed. I'm actually thinking of bringing my soon to be retired mother into the fold, so she can do that a few days a week. Time will tell if that works, I guess.

I have never, ever ripped anyone off, or forgotten about anyone. I live, and breath me shop, and my patrons. I never wanted to have customer service complaints, it actually pains me to have them. I lose sleep over it, I stress about it, and I even lost my marriage because of this shop, and the amount of time I dedicated to it. In hindsight, if I knew what this place was going to cost me, I would have closed shop 2 years ago, and went back to work for someone else. Simply not worth it.

Al
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77 630csi
81 323i
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