How is Woolworths’ Customer Relationtions?

Ok, for the virtual seminar last week, I sent 2 emails on Wed, 1 to Woolworths and 1 to Argos. Argos has not yet replied but I have recieved an email from Woolworths. This is what I sent Woolies:

Hello, I am just enquiring as to whether you offer a delivery service when you order online? My grandma is very unstable on her feet and it takes her a good 45 minutes to get to her local store. Considering she intends to purchase a tv from you I don’t think she would be able to carry it home. Is there delivery from the store?

A quick response would be appreciated.

It was quite difficult to find the contact part of the site, as they have a very busy front page. once I found it, it was easy to fill out.

This is the reply I recieved a few days later:

Dear Ms Evens,

Thank you for your email.

I can confirm your mother can place an order for home delivery.  This can done either by going into store and placing the order via our in store ordering system, alternatively you can contact our customer service department on 08703337111 and one of our advisers will be happy to assist you.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind Regards
Jemma Simic
MCR Adviser

For one thing they spelt my name wrong (EvAns not EvEns) and I was enquiring about my grandma  not my mother. This surely shows that this was not an automated response and it was just some stupid 16yr old not reading the email properly and not being able to spell!

My email was replied to quickly and did answer my question, but the fact that the only bits that could be personalised were incorrect just makes me think Woolies employ stupid school drop outs. (and judging by the staff they have in my local store, I am not wrong!)

Will write again once I get a reply from Argos.

xx

1 comment February 20, 2007

IMS Finished!

Yay! I have finished IMS, took me a while but I hope I have done it right! Got Rach and Dan to look over it and they said it flows really well and its all logical. It aint v imaginative, but I wanted it to be realistic rather than a random idea. Any way, this is only an ickle blog, as busy today, got ,my boyf down and got mates comin down latr.

xx miche xx

Add a comment February 17, 2007

IMS Assignment

Well, just thought I would write in my blog what I am doing for my assignment and the reasons why:

I have selected Uses and Gratifications theory, why, it is one of the main theories I understand having done some of it last year for consumer behaviour (i think!). I am linking this theory with Email Updates and Personal Recommendations. This will be in the form of an email update/reminder similar to those eBay use- informing the customer when the product they have in their basket or have put on a wishlist is in stock, or is on offer. These emails will also contain new releases and recommendations.

The company I am going to use is GermanTrance.com as I feel their customer relations needs to be improved.  When an item (a record) is intended for purchase it is selected and placed in the shopping basket; ‘Box’ as it is referred to on this site (record box). If the item is out of stock, which they very often are, the item stays in the box. At present there is no email alert system which lets the consumer know when the record they want is back in stock. I have first hand experience of this as my boyfriend is a regular user of the site and is very often frustrated when the item he wants is back in stock and he was not informed about it. This email will provide an incentive for the consumer to visit the site and purchase the record that they now know is definatly in stock.

Ok I’m bored of writing now so I am going to actually start this baby! Hope its right!!

xx

Add a comment February 9, 2007

Reintermediation (Ebay task)

 Well the opposite to disintermediation is reintermediation and we were given the wonderful task of purchasing and selling things on ebay. (i was one of the few who actually put the task up on the forum, thank u)

Ok, so, I often use eBay to browse through clothes, as I am a dancer and a raver, it can be great to find certain pieces for a slightly lower price or find things you may never have found in a shop. Also ‘cyber’ gear is really hard to find other than online and many online retailers have now turned to eBay as many of these items are highly sought after.

I have also purchased cds and dvds from eBay, and my dad often uses it for his business to find cheap golf things (yes, he’s managed to create a business around his favourite hobby, i don’t quite know how he managed that either!) and my brother has bought larger things like an amp, a digital camera and a mobile phone (although this then turned out to be a stolen phone so it stopped working after 6months-why someone took 6months to report it stolen i do not know!).

Anyway, on this particular instance i didnt actually find anything i wanted to purchase so I figured I would just draw on previous experience: I find that the bidding is the best bit. When you find out you are the highest bidder you feel all happy inside until some computer program slides in at the last second and bids 50p higher than you (so frustrating when this happens!) What I always tend to do is click the ‘Watch this Item’ button and then when the bid is about to end, it sends you a reminder email, and if the price is higher than I wanted to pay for it, I dont bid. If it is lower, then I bid. I have snatched up a few things this way and I find I dont then get anxious as to whether someone will outbid me.

As for selling on eBay, I have yet to do this, but I have been intending to for quite a while.I think once I return back to my parents house in a few months I will find myself auctioning off some of my childhood junk that there is no space for (as my room at home is currently the attic substitute as every time I return, more junk has been crammed under my bed!). I think selling my junk will come in useful when my student loan runs out in the summer and I want to do all kinds of exciting things and cant afford to!

In reference to online shopping in general, I love it. I get to have a proper nosey at things I might want to buy and I can spend hours on ASOS just looking at pretty things, in the vague hope that my boyfriend is a mind reader (or secretly gay) and will buy me those gorgeous shoes or GHDs. Alas no. he is niether. so I got Nicky Clarke straighteners for Xmas whilst my housemate has PINK GHDs. Oh well. At least hes not a geek…. 

Add a comment February 6, 2007