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We don’t need no stinking customers

by Sabrina Parsons on June 27, 2007

There’s a great place for lunch, right near the office. I find myself going there at least three times a week because it’s affordable (under six bucks) and VERY healthy. Let’s call this restaurant "Yummy."

So at least three times a week I call Yummy to place an order so that it’s ready for me when I get there to pick it up. I don’t have a lot of extra time these days, especially for anything that takes me out of the office during the day. So here is the routine when I call Yummy:

1. Dial–get busy signal
2. Keep hitting redial for 10-15 minutes
3. Finally get through and get told by an annoyed person "You are going to have to hold for at least 10 minutes"–get put back on hold before I can answer
4. Put phone on speaker and wait
5. Wait
6. Finally talk to a person and place my order

OK, so why do I put myself through this? I want something healthy for lunch and I don’t have time in the morning to pack a lunch. Will I continue to frequent Yummy? No. Every time this happens I get more annoyed. I even emailed their office (they are a local restaurant) and let them know this was happening — but got no response at all.

Why would they risk losing a good customer like me? I am their IDEAL customer. I frequent the place three to four times PER WEEK. Shouldn’t I get preferred treatment? Shouldn’t they want to take my order and my money? But maybe they don’t need no stinking customers!

-Sabrina Parsons

About the author: Sabrina has served as CEO of Palo Alto Software since 2007. She and her husband, Noah, founded a UK software distribution company in 2001 that later was purchased by and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Palo Alto Software. Sabrina is a successful Internet expert, having served as Director of Online Marketing at Commtouch, Senior Producer at Epinions.com, and founder of her own Web consulting company, Lighting Out. She is a graduate of Princeton University. Sabrina masquerades as MommyCEO (www.mommyceo.org), where she writes a blog about running a business and balancing that with life with her husband and three young sons. When Sabrina is not at work she can be found chasing her kids all over Oregon: biking, hiking, swimming, skiing, and anything outdoors that uses up a lot of little boys' energy. More »

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  • http://www.automatedbusiness.org Andrew

    Interesting! Customers are the one who should be value in a certain business. Well, I should know for I’m also into business at http://www.automatedbusiness.org

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