For a packet of poha!

 For want of a nail , the poem says, a battle was lost.

 Coming to more recent times, on January 28, 1986 the space shuttle challenger exploded 73 seconds after launch killing all seven astronauts on board. What caused the disaster? A tiny component called O-ring seal that is used to seal of a chamber containing fuels. Another case of how a small little thing can have a huge impact.

Grim? Definitely grim. But what is the connection to my story, you wonder?

Grab a cup of coffee and I will tell you- in excruciating detail :)

This story begins on June 1, 2019. And involves a giant in eCommerce with a solid reputation for customer service and amazing customer-centricity. And yet, as Robert Burns said “The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley.”. And there are circumstances when a tiny little item can damage the reputation of a multi-billion-dollar-corporation!

In this case a tiny packet of poha chewed up my customer experience of this e-commerce giant( who is my favorite for shopping, by the way!)

 It is the first day of the month and one is really not looking at the prospect of an empty bank account. And my better half orders her monthly grocery from A2Zcorporation.It’s a familiar ritual with specific, familiar steps calculated to make the shopping experience a delight and waltzing through them we place the order.

 “Tring-ling”, sings my mobile and I open the mail which confirms that some 18 items have been ordered and thanks me ( I am the customer, though this makes my better half angry that the corporation is not thanking her… maybe the guys at the A2Z have to find a way of thanking the user !) and confirms that the items will be delivered between 5th and 12th of June, circa2019.

Our past experiences have been good. A2Z usually delivers before time. And while the order says this is fulfilled by a third party seller, we are not unusually bothered. A case of familiarity breeding confidence, maybe? A case of repeated good experiences making us discount the possibility of failure?

In the next two weeks  the items in my ‘basket’ start arriving. And my phone keeps its music of ‘tring-a-ling’ going everyday. And like a pavlovian dog I feel an adrenalin rush every time it tring-a-lings!

But there is a catch. A blacksheep in the lamb-pack, if you will.

There is one item--a tiny packet of poha-- that plays truant. While time the cruel, heartless charioteer keeps the wheels of life moving, the offending poha refuses to arrive.

It is two days past the deadline and there is no news. Neither from A2Z nor from the TPS- Third Party Seller!

Now my better half is chafing.. why has the packet not come yet? And why hasn’t A2Z not bothered to send us a mail? An SMS, goddammit? Like the poet Burns she is also seeing her well laid schemes of cooking up a magic with poha evaporating!

And so I go to the web site of A2Z and try to track my order down. Navigating through the site is pretty easy. I come to the order and click on it to see what the status is. And this is what it says:

Was expected by 12 June

We are sorry your package is late. Please contact us for next steps.

So I try to contact them.

( Have you ever tried to contact any organization’s customer service desk? If not, you can find out about the invisibility of helpline numbers somewhere in my voluminous posts!)

 A2Z really cares. They have two options : You can chat with them or you can ask them to call you.

I choose to chat. I am not good in listening to people as my friends would testify! So I press chat and am accosted by a ‘being’ --whether it is a robot or a human cannot be successfully verified. After the first few steps the ‘being’ decides irrational customers like me can only be dealt with by human beings and asks one of the reps to chat with me…and the next chapter in customer experience unfolds.

“Hello Ram”, says the girl. I am assuming it is a girl based on the name that appears on the handle. “ How can I help you today?”

Classic, fool-proof, customer service manual beginning. I like that – address the customer by name, exude friendliness, be positive. She scores on all three.

I type in my order number and the details of the item that is causing me heartburn.

“what is the problem?”

“The product has not been delivered yet”

“Have you contacted the seller?”

“No, I am contacting A2Z. Because I ordered it from you”

“But this is sold and fulfilled by a third-party vendor”

Now I am seeing clouds. Did I buy from A2Z or buy from a TPS (Third Party Seller)?

“So, you can’t help me?”

“No, I am not saying that. But this is a third-party seller and we don’t have an update”

“Why is there a delay?”

“I am sorry, I don’t have an update. I can’t tell you”

“Don’t you think A2Z should inform me that there is a delay?”

“It is a TPS. So, we don’t have any idea”

We do three to four more verbal loops on this. I am more and more reminded of computers and “Do” loops. Getting tired of these waltzing, I change the tack.

“Can you tell me when I will get the product?”

“I have raised the issue on your behalf and the TPS will respond”

“So when will I get delivery?”

“Usually the sellers take two business days but often they take less time”

“So when will I get delivery?”

“The seller will respond”

“What happens if he does not respond?”

“You get back to us and we will file a A2Z claim?”

“And what will that do?”

“We will file a claim”

“Will I get my money?”

“If the item is not delivered we will file a A2Z claim and the seller will return the money depending on your mode of payment”

“When will that happen?”

“Five business days”

 I am tired, angry and depleted… all three once. Because as a marketer, I have always believed the saying “Customer is king”. Looks like there is a second half to that statement which should read “But markets are a democracy”

Then someone else comes online to chat with me. He (again I am assuming that it is a human being and that it is a male) assures me he will sort it out. He will take care of this issue. He tells me that I need not worry and that if the product is not delivered by the next day, A2Z will get the reimbursement process initiated and I did not have to do anything else.

 So I retire. Hoping that the next day the much sought-after packet of poha will arrive.And that I won’t have to rewrite a poem starting with “For want of a packet of poha”

Did it arrive? Did A2Z get the second part of the puzzle right? I will share that with you in the next part.

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The second part of this article is now available on Linkedin.

If you would like to read it click on : Royal Run around-For a packet of poha- part 2

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