Thread

1. 4chandaily · 1790423618 · focus · HN ↗

   Customer support has gotten so terrible. Now that all big companies have terrible support, none of them are punished for it. You can still occasionally find people who give a shit in small business, but that is it. Google is probably one of the worst offenders of all. I don't know what the solution is, it seems like the only way to get any satisfaction on an issue at a big corp anymore is a social medial call-out like this one.

   If you are here, thank you for Conversations, Daniel, it has been my go-to for years for communicating with friends and family.

   1. tokioyoyo · 1790470676 · focus · HN ↗

      Isn’t because every single data point has shown in the last decade that people whine, but still use the services because of free/cheap/etc.? So you calculate retention, and how much investment in customer support will improve your numbers. In the end, you realize it only matters for customers who are paying the most, and that’s where the AMs come into the play.

      Obviously not the same everywhere, but generally it’s true and holds up.

      1. andrekandre · 1790474183 · focus · HN ↗

           > but still use the services because of free/cheap/etc
         

         it may be a crazy idea, but if they ever made a law that said 'free trial not withstanding, services must be payed for and not free' i wonder if that would fix the issue real fast...

         (of course a side effect might be that half the economy implodes but thats besides the point ^^)

         1. tokioyoyo · 1790483051 · focus · HN ↗

            What exactly is the issue? Consumers complain about the bad parts of it, yet overwhelmingly use it. Sure, temporary dissatisfaction is there, but they still make it obvious with their choices that they want to use the offered product.

            1. andrekandre · 1790507561 · focus · HN ↗

               they overwhelmingly use it because its free, but if they even had to pay one cent i'd bet they'd loose half their customers and start shopping around on different metrics of quality

               making things free causes a loss of price signal, so i'd say it would be a good idea to restore that...

               1. tokioyoyo · 1790555059 · focus · HN ↗

                  I’m confused though. Customers, overwhelmingly, want the free service with crappy issues. So an intervention would just be anti-consumer? We’d optimize the quality, but people wouldn’t use it.

                  1. andrekandre · 1790571589 · focus · HN ↗

                       > So an intervention would just be anti-consumer?
                     

                     maybe? but you are paying for it with you data and usage, you just don't realize it (in addition to being subsequently manipulated by it); that could also probably considered anti-consumer imho...

                       > but people wouldn’t use it.
                     

                     yep, thats right. thats why i think having a price signal where the actual cost is upfront; now you don't discover later your data is being used against you as a "cost" but consider upfront 'do i really wanna pay for this or do something else' etc

                     said in another way, i feel like giving the customer upfront knowledge about what something actually costs is more pro-consumer because now we can make informed choices

                     1. tokioyoyo · 1790582744 · focus · HN ↗

                        > you are paying for it with you data and usage, you just don't realize it

                        I don't think this (people not realizing it) is true. We've heard this argument since early 2010s, and the general attitude of population is "ok, cool, so what?". Even people like me, who know that I'm paying it with my data, still overwhelmingly prefer using such services.

                        For every scandal about data leakage, 3rd party access and etc., the social media websites are still top used apps. People don't want their privacy/secrets/photos to be available to people they know, or might know. They don't really care about "giant faceless company"/government, even though they say they do.

                        I wish this was not true.

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