Hostile customer service response-long

B

bestoutwest

Cathlete
Just had to share this and get some other opinions. Last week I ordered some "self-empowerment" stuff from Jon Benson (author of Fit Over Forty and "creator" of lots of other internet programs). Well, almost immediately after I ordered it, I wished I hadn't. I immediately contacted him to see if I could cancel my order before it shipped. His response was basically trying to convince me to give the program a try, yada yada. So, I wrote back and said that I wanted to cancel because I felt I couldn't afford it with the upcoming holidays. He then gave me the web site of his customer service department.

I contacted the customer service on Wed. morning. They claim that they will respond within 24-36 hours. Well, now it's Sunday night and I still haven't heard from anyone. Nothing, nada, not even confirmation that they have received my request. So, I sent an email directly to Mr. Benson. Here is what it said:

Hi Jon,

I contacted you middle of last week about canceling my M-Power membership. You advised me to contact your customer service department at: http://help.mpowerseries.com/, which I did.
(Ticket ID xxxx, Ticket key xxxxxxx) I contacted them on Wednesday, assuming I would hear back in 24-36 hours, as the site says.

Now, 5 full days later, I still have heard nothing. I am extremely disappointed in your so-called "customer care center" site. I am expecting a full refund of $xxx, since, if your support staff had contacted me, the resource materials would not have been shipped. I do not feel that I should have to pay shipping for materials that I had canceled. I will return the materials to you once they arrive, if you provide me with a return address.

I will be expecting the credit of $xxx to be applied to my account. I will be canceling all of my subscriptions to your emails and will definitely not be doing business with you again. This may be the worst customer service I have received from your type of internet products.

Thank you for your prompt, personal attention to this matter.

Here is the response I received from him:

Edie;

You contacted me wanting a refund for a product you decided you could not
afford a day or two after purchasing it.

I tried to help you with this to the best of my ability. Our CS is usually
quite good...however, they are human and prone to mistakes like anyone else.
I am checking on that, as it is important to my business.

People like you, however, are NOT.

Anyone who leaps to these types of conclusions (i.e. "unsubscribe from all
blah blah blah) and chooses to reply in such a rude manner is not someone
I'd ever ASK to be my client.

Are we clear?

If you do not do as you say..."unsubscribe" from my emails over 'this', then
I will unsubscribe you myself.

You will receive your refund in full, so you don't have to worry about that.
The refund will be issued after the product is returned.

"This" is my "prompt, personal attention."

Jon Benson


Ok, this just seems a little over the top to me. Not the way I would expect any business owner to respond to an unhappy customer. What happened to "the customer is always right"? Am I wrong to feel this way. I didn't think that my message to him was all that out of line. Anyway, just wanted to share, sorry so long. Also a warning about doing business with Mr. Jon Benson!!
 
I have to agree with you, his rudeness is uncalled for. I am taken aback by it. You did nothing to him personally, yet he is acting as if you did. You are a customer, you ordered a product, you changed your mind and tried in all good faith to cancel, following his advice. His company has failed on its promsie to contact you within 36 hours. Therefore, you are entitled, as far as I'm concerned, to the full refund including s/h fees. I see why you were keen to cancel all contact with his company: they cannot be trusted, they do n ot fulfill their promises, you were concerned you might never see your money again. I can see no reason for his angry response to you. His is the company that failed in its promise. That is what he should be concerned about. That's if he cares to extend his business at all, by not losing customers.

When you get your money back, take a huge breath, and then don't think about this obnoxious man and his company ever again. Be free of it all.

Deep breath now,

Clare
 
Was it possible that there was a mistake on the customer service end? I think you are entitled to a full refund, but I don't understand why you said you were not ever going to do business with them again and unsubscribing to their emails. Was it because you didn't get a response?
I just think it could have been a mistake by someone. I only say that in their defense because I made a couple of mistakes with a customer recently and was very grateful for their understanding. :)
 
Mr. Benson seems to have forgotten that the customer is always right and a little a$$-kissing can go a long way.

I have no idea who he is or what he does and now I'm sure I never will.

Susan L.G.
 
His attitude will NOT serve him well in the business world. Whether he felt your request was right or wrong, it is his business to make you happy.

Unfortunately for him, he will soon realize that his business is built on good customer servce. Also, kindness goes a long way in any human interaction. It's pretty obvious that he has no manners or class.
 
Okay, SO NOT Cool!!! Instead of "Fit Over Forty" being his motto, it seems that "Fit over Four" would be more appropriate!!! Instead of making an even bigger fuss over is immaturity, inappropriateness, and obnoxiousness, I would just mark the box your cancelled order comes in with "Return to Sender-Unsolicited Posting" or "Return to Sender-Cancelled order) and put it right back in the mail (or UPS, or Fed-Ex). If you don't open the invoice or even the box you can do this and you shouldn't be charged for the shipping.
 
Oh My!!!!!!!! What happened to the customer is always right?? Also- What an IDIOT because since it was a $$ reason for cancel that could have changed at any time and you WOULD have bought!
I was taught that unless you are being cussed at or "bullied" by a customer you smile and do what they ask GRACIOUSLY and with profound appreciation for them even considering your product..... Guess those days are gone in Mr Jon's world. Very sad too as I had recently started researching him.....Did Mr over 40 ever work in the real world ???? Word of mouth may have just caught him! And FINAL thought...lol RULE NUMBER 1: NEVER PUT UGLINESS IN AN EMAIL!!! :p
 
Oh my goodness! I can't believe how rude and arrogant his response was! I hope you realize this is about him, not you, Edie, and if I was you, I would file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

Sheesh! What a jerk!

Marie
 
Whoa! It's early and I'm tired but my eyes opened RIGHT UP while reading his response! LOL

Whether right or wrong Edie, you should NOT have been dealt with in that manner. I found your email to be stern and to the point but not RUDE as Mr. Benson suggests. This guy is clearly a piece of sh!t and does not DESERVE your business or anyone else's for that matter!

Too bad there is no one you can complain to about this! What a jerk!x( x( x(

Edited to Add: The BBB! YES! Thanks Marie!:) Complain, Edie! COMPLAIN!!!!
 
I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt his response was out of line. I actually wasted an hour of sleep thinking about this last nightx( Got up early and did B&G and now feel much better, especially after reading these responses!!

I wish there was a place where one could complain about internet businesses, but I don't think there is. Hopefully word of mouth will catch up with him; I'm sure he's probably handled other unhappy customers much the same way.
 
Seems to me that Jon Benson's abhorrent and deflating response to your reasonable request is the antithesis of what one would expect from a 'self empowerment' author. You were obviously bang on with your 'buyer's remorse', this person chose to be nasty and hurtful in his response, he has shown himself to be a charlatan. I hope the transaction comes to a swift conclusion and your card is refunded post haste!

I feel so bad for you Edie, you sought 'self empowerment' to better yourself and were systematically belittled. What a horrible thing he has done. Shame on him!

Take Care
Laurie:)
 
Amazing... I thought I've heard everything! Evidently this man's products are absolutely worthless as he fully believes that self empowement is only acheived by putting down others! I was absolutely shocked when I read that. I can tell you that I will never consider his products, and I think you should broadcast far and wide that response. The more people who do not get ripped off by this egotistic fraud the better.

I've managed customer service departments, and your request is not out of line or hard. It simply states your expectation. You were not getting the service you requested and you wrote to found out what was going on. Knowing that I had your interest, and that this was simply not the time for you to buy, as a manager I would have gone out of my way to accomodate you, knowing that after Christmas, you would remember the wonderful response you received from me and would replace your order.
 
"' tried to help you with this to the best of my ability. Our CS is usually
quite good...however, they are human and prone to mistakes like anyone else.
I am checking on that, as it is important to my business.

People like you, however, are NOT."

this is what stuck out, YES your are important to his business b/c you are a customer. just b/c you cancel this order doesn't mean that you won't order something else later. that was totally rude and i certainly will never do business with Mr. Jon Benson.

kassia

http://www.picturetrail.com/ldy_solana

"And do what thee wilt as long as ye harm none"
 
Edie,

Unfortunately, I believe the days of "the customer is always right" are over. Very few retailers believe in this motto any more. I also think that in the age of email, people do not think before typing. That said, I think Mr. Benson was perhaps a little to frustrated when he wrote the email and I would think he probably regrets it.
 
Having worked in customer service for many years, I can assure you that I have seen many situations were the customer was wrong, rude and had completely unrealistic expectations. Many people think that, "the customer is always right" means 'the customer can treat you however they see fit'. In this situation, however, I think you were forthright and polite. You had every right to voice your concern and unhappiness. And his over-the-top response is so out of line I don't even know where to begin. I can tell you that after reading this I almost felt like emailing him myself and letting him know what a HUGE business mistake he just made.
 
Wow! If I ever thought of buying anything from this guy, I wouldn't now!

He might be ticked off that you cancelled your order, but he could at least have been civil about it, or even cold and abrupt, but this crosses the line into down-and-out meanness.

Is this something that can be reported to the Better Business Bureau? Or some other agency that keeps track of businesses? It certainly seems that others should know about this.
 
I'd never heard of him - or at least I thought I hadn't until I visited his website just now and recognized the remembered the photo of him with his scary "mullet."

I'm a big fan of Tom Venuto's, whose customer service and general demeanor has always been very professional, so I'm shocked that he's co-author of Benson's book.

Benson's email to you was WAY over the top - unprofessional, rude, and unnecessarily mean.

This man clearly has "issues" - don't let him get to you. Your frustrations were justified given that you had a time-sensitive issue and did not get a response after contacting him and his customer service.

I'm glad you shared this with the Cathe crowd because we're his target audience. I certainly won't be buying any of his products.

Joni
 
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