Two days ago I purchased a Samsung TV and Entertainment system. Needles to say that after being without a TV for well over a month, I was very excited to set it up. So excited that I was willing to read over the user manuals (which to my surprise are just as poorly written as any other brand out there!) to lear how to set up the system.

One of the features that attracted me to getting the particular setup that I got was the fact that both can connect to a wireless network (provided that you buy the EXTRA wireless adapter that they “so” cleverly sell separately!) and that the systems can connect directly to many online services (i.e.: Netflix, Pandora, etc.) to get direct access to content.

Part of setting up the network was configuring all the settings so that the entertainment system could connect to the wireless network that I use at home to connect all our Macs for file sharing.

So I started to think… if the system can connect to the “same” network where all my computers connect to and share files, would it be possible to connect the entertainment system to my computers and use it to browse files (i.e.: be able to view photos and play videos stored in one of them)?

Not finding the answer in the user manuals (i.e.: and I guess it could be argue that if this functionality wasn’t supported in the system, it would explain why it wasn’t mentioned in the manuals, but that’s another story…) I decided to call Samsung tech support and see if they could provide me some guidance.

After being on hole for a short while, a lovely lady answer the phone. I provided her with the model number of the system and proceeded to explain to her what I was trying to do and that, first, I wanted to know if this “functionality” was even built in as part of the system.

Here’s where things went South…

Her answer was short and to the point: “we don’t provide any technical support for that function”.

Ok, so they won’t help me troubleshoot it, that’s fine… but that wasn’t my question.

What I wanted to know was if the system IS capable or not to look at files inside my computer and play media files through it and into my TV.

Her answer now was: “we ’sometimes’ provide support for Netflix or Pandora but we don’t provide any technical support for what you want to do”.

“Yes, yes… you already said that. ALL I WANT TO KNOW IS IF IT’S DOABLE OR NOT!”

*CLICK* she HANGED UP!

Yes, that’s right, she hanged up on me. I couldn’t believe it. I had just spend over 3K buying Samsung products and they won’t answer a simple question about a product that they build and hang up on a customer? At no time during my conversation with this, now not so much “lovely” lady, was I rude, insulting or say anything to give her a reason to hang up on me. Yet she did.

All I wanted was a YES you can or a NO you can not and I would’d been happy.

Had she said YES, I would of say “thank you” and I’ll figure it out myself given that you guys don’t provide support for your own product’s built-in functionality.
Had she said NO, I would of say “thank you” and be just happy getting movies from Netflix.

So let’s move past my original question for a moment (I’m planning on buying a Mac mini and connecting it to the TV/network and getting my movies that way – a more expensive solution but at least I know that if I call Apple with questions on how to connect the system and use it, I won’t get hanged-up on), and think about these:

1. Do companies really know what they are building now a days and why? I mean, are they really trying to resolve a pain-point for their users and help them complete their goals by using their products or are they just slapping hardware and functionality together so quick and then throwing them up to their marketing and sales departments in the name of profit that they can even support their own products?

2. How low are companies willing to go with their customer service departments? Haven’t they heard about social media and word-of-mouth buzz and how quickly the good, the bad and the ugly can spread through the internet. Have they forgotten about Dell Hell?

May be it’s time to rename ‘customer service’ to just ’service’, and even the ’service’ part is in doubt. At least they should start using one of my favorite lines from Dogbert: “how may I abuse you?” At least that would give users a clue as to what kind of ’support’ they can expect to receive!

Perhaps product based companies don’t consider ‘customer service’ or ‘tech support’ to be part of their products, after all they are not tangible objects, thus decide not to put much thought and care into them. But this is just not acceptable. You can’t expect a user to buy a product from company XYZ and then not to call them when they have a questions. Nor can you expect that an answer such as “we don’t provide any technical support for that function” to be an acceptable response.

Companies need to start realizing that there are other options out there to the product that they offer and that in the case of a product-dirve company, the ’support’ that they provide is indeed part of the product (even if it happens to be called “customer ’service’”) and part of the whole experience whether they like it or not.

So, to the Samsungs of the world… start treating your customers with more respect and dignity. If you build a product, know what it’s capabilities (and limitations) are and support them and be clear about them. Go for the total user experience. Give us a reason to come back and buy the next version or model.

In this day and age of great technologies and communication mediums there’s no reason for them to be mutually exclusive!

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I recently finished reading The Inmates Are Running the Asylum by Alan Cooper – a book that talks about how poorly software is designed today, how little usability design goes into building most applications, why the way developers think is not conducive to how users actually “use” their software and a few strategies for chaining our ways and teaching an “old dogs” some “new” tricks.

So it could be me reading Alan’s book or some of the other books on interaction/usability design, or may be I’m just getting to my tipping point where I no longer tolerate or want to accept poorly design products and services. Whatever the reason, I’ve lately started to notice and get frustrated – sometimes down angry, with many every day products and services that are designed in whichever way the engineer(s) and product managers fancy with total disregard for the end-users needs and goals.

In a previous post “Bad customer experience at an Apple store“, I wrote about a “store policy” that really puzzled and frustrated me. Now thinking back about that day, I realized that it was’t a bad store policy, it was BAD USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN! A policy with no reason or explanation for being that just hurts the user, and to use a common phrase, just leave a bad taste in your mouth.

A puzzling question: why do we put up with bad products and services? Don’t we, as the ones holding the money that these product/service driven companies want, have any saying, any power?

Why is it that even though we get frustrated with a product or service we continue to buy and use them – many times when there are ‘alternatives’ that would: 1) may be have the same frustration level, but cost less (which in a ’sick’ way makes it a bit more acceptable/tolerable) or 2) be a lot more “user-friendly” or 3) BOTH?!

If I have to guess, one reason for this situation is that designing better products and services usually cost more – more time and more money – than just slapping a few lines of code or sheets of metal together and calling on the marketing and sales departments. But isn’t the risk of mistreating, hurting, humiliating and frustrating the users putting a lot more than time and money at risk?

An interesting observation is that companies that put little time and money in designing a better product or service will still put trucks full of cash into their product marketing and sales strategies! Wouldn’t these resources be put to a better use in designing a better product? No amount of marketing and advertisement is going to make me feel better about a product or service that doesn’t do what I need it to do in a the way that I need it to . So the company made a sale but lost a customer. Instead, and this is specially true now-a-days that the Internet has such a power to transmit word-of-mouth buzz, how about creating a truly remarkable (sorry Seth Godin, I’m stilling your buzz-word here) “purple cow“, a product or service so truly “user-friendly” that you don’t need sales and marketing. A product or service that sales itself. A product or service that makes me wan to tell all my friends about it. Now you made a sale and got a customer (and most likely all his/her friends) for life!

WOW! It looks like I’ve gone over my usability tipping point. Does this mean that I’ll throw away all the products that I own that don’t really work how I need them and that I will discontinue on using those services that take my money but don’t resolve my problems or help me reach my goals? Probably not all and probably not right away. They’ll probably be a few products and services that I continue to use despite how awkward using them is because the paint of using them is, at least not yet, greater than the benefit that I can extract from them.

But one thing is certain… my eyes are a lot more open today about the importance of usability and interaction design and the huge role they play in our daily lives. I’ll probably buy my next laptop at Apple (again) and continue to use my refrigerator even though it makes me go blind at 3 a.m. (that post is coming up…) but I won’t do it quietly any more. And may be, if just enough of us get tired enough of bad products and services and each one of us decides to make a little noise, together we can have a loud voice and may be then, companies will start taking better care of the ones who keeps them open and profitable… the ones using their ” ” products and services!

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About two months ago I was in the market to get a new laptop. Having secured a new job, I decided to spoil myself a little bit and indulge on a brand new 17″ MacBook Pro.

So I went down to the nearest Apple store that I could find, cash in hand and very excited. I walked in, and after a few minutes deciding whether I should go with the glossy screen or the matte one (I ended up getting the matte one) I walked up to a nice lady in a light blue t-shirt and asked for her assistance. She made a call to the stock room to check the availability and after a few minutes she gave me the sad news that there were none left. Up to this point everything had been fun and cordial and I was still very excited to be taking home my new laptop.

I asked her: “where is the nearest Apple store?”

She said: “Walnut Creek.”

So I asked her, what to me seemed a very logical and simple question: “could you please call the store and check if they have it in stock before I drive over?”

What happened next left me….hmmm… how to say it….. PISSED OFF and a bit confused.

She said: “NO! Sorry we can’t call other stores.”

Wait, stop! REWIND…..rrrrrrrrrrrrr……….

She said: “NO! Sorry we can’t call other stores.”

That’s right: NO!

Wait, am I at an Apple store? You know, Apple as in Steve Jobs’ Apple store?

Isn’t Apple all about the “user experience”?

Here I am. Cash in hand. Ready to spend well over $2500 on a new laptop and they CANNOT call another store to see if it’s in stock?

I mean… I’m not asking them to transfer the computer over. Gee, God forbid. Just call to see if the other store has it in store and if so put it on hold. Save me a trip…

That’s the confusing and frustrating part. That they can’t…no…, that they WON’T do such a simple thing.

Here’s the strangest thing: I’ve gone into The Gap… YES that’s right… The Gap to buy a pair of $40 jeans and if they didn’t have my size in stock they’d get it transferred overnight, from whichever store had it for FREE! Yes, that’s right! The Gap was willing to pay to get a pair of jean shipped over night at a higher cost than they would sell it to me and Apple cannot call another store so I CAN drive over and hand them over $2500?

So this begs the question: How come a company that prides itself on being user friendly and all about the user experience can’t provide one at the most basic level: The user/customer level!

I love Apple and all their products. Now, if they just started putting the same TLC and user friendliness that they put in all their products on customer service…. that would be… priceless!

p.s.: I took a week to cool-off, called Apple stores around to find the 17″ MacBook Pro with the matte screen and I bought it!

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http://tinyurl.com/qj3hqd I never knew that Newspapers enabled Democracy! I thought it was the other way around: It’s because of Democracy and freedom of speech that we have Newspapers!Newspapers are failing not because of Democracy or a lack of, or putting Democracy at risk. They are simply dying because they have failed to see the comings of a new wave of media/content creators and information/news dissemination enabling technologies, lack of vision and flexibility and a refusal to explore and experiment with other revenue generating models. Darwin at its best: Evolve and adapt or face extinction!

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