Customer Communications
I recently ordered two CD’s from CD WOW as the price was reasonable and I’ve found delivery in the past to be very fast. I’d have liked the CD’s for a journey on the 6th of July, so ordered about two weeks earlier. When I didn’t hear anything I wondered if they’d got misplaced here and they hadn’t, so I checked on the CD WOW website. It turns out they hadn’t yet been despatched, and once I found a contact form sent a question to enquire when they might be. A polite and well written reply came 46 hours later to explain they weren’t in stock, and were waiting to hear from the supplier when they would be available.
There is nothing to indicate whether a CD is in stock or not, but as everything had been so quick in the past I assumed it was. At the moment I’m £20 down, don’t have the CD’s and don’t know when they will arrive. I now feel less inclined to use CD WOW in the future - especially as the out of stock CD’s are still available to order. Had I received an email before initiating contact to explain that there would be a delay, I think I’d have felt better about it. Whilst I wouldn’t now tell someone not to use CD WOW, I’m more likely (if asked) to recount this experience than the other positive ones before it.
The CD’s aren’t available easily in the UK and I’ve always used eBay to get them from Europe. Next time I’ll probably do the same, and following a positive purchase from Play.com of a DVD that might be where I make my next normal CD purchase. To give an example - Time Capsule by the B-52’s it’s available on both. CD WOW lists it at £5.99, and Play.com at £6.99. However, Play.com tells me it’s out of stock, and if I wanted it urgently I’d just move on.
Communication is so important with customers - before, during and after the process. Whilst the reply from CD WOW was timely and professional, it would have been nice not to make it at all, and the stock level or delivery estimate to be available up front. It’s even more important for smaller retailers online where there are several other sites which can be found within seconds to make the same purchase.
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