Guy Down The Street

Everyday when I walk into the office, I usually start the coffee machine and go through its ablutions and other rituals of starting up.  Machine Rinse – check!  Empty Grounds – check!  Fill water tank – check!  FYI, the machine that we have is the fancy Jura-Capresso 13421, courtesy of Rob Quartel (our gourmet CEO ).

However, today, it threw such a curve ball – “Decalcify Coffee Machine”, that I might actually have to read the manual. This reflects some of the changes in customer support that we have experienced in the last one decade or so. The first big change is that when you buy a product, you are usually provided a CD, or at least a hyperlink to the support documentation on the web. Secondly, the products usually come with a big note: “Please do not return this product to the store! Call this 800 number.” Obviously, the return costs are so high (in term of logistics, brand reputation, charge backs etc), that it is much easier for the product manufacturer to first give the user an option to rectify a problem by calling the customer service. In some cases, they will send you a replacement free of charge, and it is still better for them rather than you returning the product to Target or Amazon.