How Virgin Mobile Lost a 6-years Loyal Customer and Brand Ambassador

(originally posted on 08/2016)

This post tells the story of how Virgin Mobile Canada lost me as a customer, by progressively corroding the relationship they had built with me for 6 years.

Elated New Customer

In 2010 I was financially ready to take the plunge and go from a prepaid to a monthly phone plan. I was a bit unhappy with the poor treatment I had received from Bell for a couple of issues, so I looked into other smaller phone companies.

I had done some research and had decided to go with a simple low-end smartphone and mid-range monthly plan from Fido.

When I arrived at the kiosk, the sales person did a great job in showing me how Virgin Mobile could give me a high-end smartphone for the same monthly price.

I was elated!

Loyal Fan

In the 5 years that followed, Virgin did an amazing job at building a relationship with me and keeping my loyalty.

Every 6-12 months I would get a call from them, either 1) offering me more minutes and data for the same price, or 2) offering me to move to a cheaper plan while keeping the same minutes and data.

I quickly became a fan. I would tell anyone who asked what a great company Virgin was.

Brand Ambassador

Yes, I did have a few problems with Virgin throughout those 5 years. No company is perfect. But I was so in love with the company, that I brushed the problems as one-offs. The benefits I had received from Virgin over the years far outweighed the odd issue here and there.

Over time, I started telling people about Virgin without them even asking: whenever a friend would complain about their mobile carrier, I would share my wonderful experience of Virgin with them.

Whenever Virgin delighted me with another lowered price, I would sing their praises on social media. I even went as far as individually telling strangers on social media about how great Virgin was.

High Expectations

In the end of 2012, I was eligible for a phone upgrade. However, I was too busy and didn't get around to looking into it. In the summer of 2013 Virgin offered me a high-end smartphone (LG/Google Nexus 4) for $0 and a small increase in my monthly payment. I was so delighted with the phone and the brand that I didn't mind paying a bit more.

In 2015, I was again eligible for another upgrade. At this point, Virgin had built me up so high, that I expected to get another high-end phone for $0 (and maybe a small increase in my monthly bill). I looked at the offers and found that all high-end phones were costly and for plans much more expensive than mine. So I decided to wait and see if they got cheaper. Every few months I looked at their website, and there was no change in the prices. In the beginning I was a bit disappointed, but blamed the high US dollar.

Around that time, I received a call from Virgin saying I was eligible for an upgrade. I mentioned that none of the phones interested me, and asked if they could give me an extra discount on the expensive phone I wanted (LG G4), considering my loyalty. They said no for the discount, but they offered to lower my monthly payment.

At the time I was still in love with Virgin, and sang their praises on social media once again - even advocating for the brand to other customers.

Bruised Loyalty

As time went by (and my Nexus 4's battery started performing worse and worse), I started getting frustrated. I needed a new phone, but Virgin had nothing good to offer. I checked their website every month, and the price of LG G4 continued high. I became disappointed. Virgin had made it so easy for me to get a good, high-end new phone in the past, and now it seemed impossible.

I called Virgin a few times and again asked if they could give me a discount, considering my loyalty. The answer was always 'no'. I started feeling offended. After 6 years of loyalty and feeling pampered, now Virgin was giving me a cold shoulder.

Destroying the Relationship

So I patiently waited until the phone (LG G4) was finally offered for $0 in my current plan. I called them and ordered the phone. One week later, I opened the box that came in the mail and there it was: an LG G3!

I called Virgin and told them they had sent the wrong phone. At first, the customer service representative said that I had ordered a G3. Basically, he accused me of lying!! I was deeply offended. After 6 years of loyalty and singing their praises, that's how they treated me??!!!

We were able to sort that out, and he said a waybill (I'm assuming that's a fancy name for a return address label) would arrive in the mail in 2 weeks. I waited for 3 weeks and nothing. I called them again and they said they didn't know what had happened, but would send another waybill.

For the last 3 months (since 05/2016), it has been the same story. Every time I call I talk to a different person and get a different excuse for why I didn't get the waybill. Then they promise they will send me another waybill, and I never receive it.

Endless Problems

Some of the CSRs I spoke with also mentioned that I could receive the waybill in my email instead of physical mail. It seems not even they know how it is being sent to me.

Another CSR (when I threatened to leave Virgin) told me to go to a store and return the phone there. When I got there, the person at the store told me it couldn't be returned there because they didn't have an inventory number.

After several weeks, I managed to convince them to designate a specific CSR to take care of my case (until then, I was a the mercy of whomever answered the phone and what they read in my ticket history). For a few weeks, she called me to check if I had received the waybill and kept me updated on their investigation of the problem. However, I haven't heard from her in 2 weeks.

Ready to Leave

I used to love this company and there was nothing they could do to change how I felt about them.

Lately I've been thinking more and more about whether I would want to continue with Virgin - even if this incident ever gets resolved. But I feel like even if they give me the compensation I think I deserve for this problem, they have offended and disappointed me so much these past several months, that I have difficulty thinking of Virgin the same way I used to.

But more importantly, this waybill issue has gone unsolved for so long that I feel hopeless. In order for me to save money or get a new phone, I have no other option but to leave Virgin.

Locked In

I went to a local store and the attendant told me that if I wanted to leave Virgin now, I would have to pay for the phone (that I never asked for!), as it would be a break of the contract (for the phone they never sent me!).

I asked the store attendant to change to a cheaper plan, and he said my account was locked because of the ongoing hardware upgrade. I asked him if it would be the same if I wanted to go on prepaid. He said yes.

So now I am locked at Virgin.

Does anyone want to buy a brand-new sealed in-box LG G3?


Update on Oct 14:

One week after that, I decided to call Virgin and ask how much I would have to pay for the G3 if I were to leave Virgin. They said that if I could return the phone I wouldn't have to pay anything. They insisted on sending yet another waybill and promised that this time it would arrive. I laughed and said "I'll pretend I believe you".

Of course, one week and a half later, there was no waybill. So I decided to look in the package and see if there was any paperwork that contained the price. And lo and behold, what do I find? A return address label!!!! The infamous waybill had been in the box all along!!!!! I guess they had shipped it with the phone to make returns easier.

I was flabbergasted at Virgin's disorganization. How come no one I talked to on the phone knew that? How come the person at the store didn't see it when he went through the box contents when I tried to return it?

I called them to confirm that the label was all they needed to have the phone returned. They said that if Canada Post would accept it, then it was all that was needed.

So I sealed the box, placed the infamous waybill on it, and mailed the package. Luckily it had a tracking number, so I was able to follow it. As soon as it was "ready for pickup" on their side an email poped-up in my inbox with a form for what seemed to be a waybill (of a different kind than the one what was in the box). Clearly their system is messed up.

I called Virgin a few days later and they confirmed that the package had arrived, was in good order, and that I owed them nothing. They made absolutely no effort to trying to keep me as a customer. So tomorrow I'm going to a Fido Store.

Goodbye, Virgin.
I wish it didn't have to end this way, but you've changed and don't seem to care about me anymore.

The Customer is Always Right

(originally posted in my company's blog)

Yesterday I met a new client. She came to us because she'd had a bad experience with another business card printer. She was quite frustrated and made a point in showing me an old business card and the one she had made a few months ago.

She had designed the whole card herself, including her own logo - which I think is awesome. I really admire someone who has the ability to understand themselves, their identity and their market, and comes up with a logo that sums all that up, and then builds a successful business based on that.

But this post is not about logo designing. This post is about understanding where the client is in their branding journey, and most importantly, respecting their decisions.

She put both business cards side by side on the table to show me the difference.
The printer who made her newer business card had completely changed the shade of all her colours - and had even edited her logo!

She is a real estate agent, so having words in gold - that actually look like gold - is important. People who are both buying and selling properties want to make money. So having gold on her business card hints to her clients that they will make (hopefully a lot of) money from the transaction. I got that right away.
But it seems to me like the printer she used didn't. The newer card had an ugly burnt yellow colour that looked nothing like gold. The printer had ruined her design!

Then she brought my attention to her logo. One part of it is a star. In the older card, it was shaded and made the star look like a 3D object. In the newer card, the printer had removed the shade and now the star looked flat, like a 2D object. She had designed the logo herself, so she was upset that the printer had changed it and ruined her design.

I explained my money back or rework guarantee: if the client is not satisfied with the printing job, we can refund the money or re-do the job. I asked if she had complained to the printer. She said she did and he gave her some explanation that she didn't even remember anymore.

Why am I telling this long story?

Because this is a great example of the client being always right.

She knew what she wanted: she had chosen the right colours and had a well designed logo. When the printer changed the design because he thought he knew better, she became upset - and he lost a customer.

Even if we think there is something to be improved in the customer's design, we would never edit it ourselves. We take the time to contact the customer and make a polite suggestion to change it. If they want to keep the original design, we print it that way.

If there's one thing I learned in my 15 years of software development and quality assurance is that we are working for the client. We need to give the client what they want. Not what we think is better.
As tempting as it is to give them what we think is better, they will be happier if they get what they wanted.
Of course there is the question of surprising the client by giving them more than what they asked for, but that is a conversation for another post.

Walmart: a surprising example of Delighting the Customer

We all know Walmart has a bad reputation for quality and customer service. But last week I had a surprisingly good experience. In fact, it wasn't good, it was excellent.

I ordered some oatmeal and other groceries at Walmart.ca. The estimate delivery date was 1 week from the day of my order. They usually take about 4 days, so I was slightly dissatisfied by the longer estimate.

The morning after my purchase, I realised that I would run out of oatmeal before my purchase from Walmart arrived. I was a bit disappointed that I'd be without my oatmeal for a few breakfasts.

Of course I soon got over it and went about with my day.

A few hours later, the postman knocked on my door with the Walmart package. I could not believe it. The package had arrived at my home one day after I made the online purchase!!!

I was very pleasantly surprised. It felt as if Walmart had read my mind and made sure I had my supply of oatmeal.

I have rarely been that delighted as a customer. And the fact that it came from Walmart made it even more pleasantly surprising.


Was that a coincidence? Divine intervention? Or is Walmart really changing? I like to think it's a little bit of each.

Either way: great job, Walmart!

ZipLoc SpaceBag: an example of how to delight the customer

The story:

I had one of those vacuum bags (also called Space Bag) in my storage unit, with some cushions in it. 

One day I was getting something from storage and noticed that the cushions were inflated. I took the bag out and wondered if they had gotten ripped by some chicken wire that was a bit too close to the bag.

I brought the bag upstairs and took a good look at it. I couldn't find any holes. 

Then I tried to vacuum the air out a few times. After a few hours, the bag would be inflated again. My suspicions were confirmed: there was a leak. 

After some more searching, I found the leak.

I tried fixing it myself, and even following some people's advice on the internet: using packing tape, duck tape, etc.

Nothing worked. The air would still come in after a few hours.

So I had the brilliant idea of calling the company and asking them what to do.

The customer experience:

I called customer service and my call was quickly connected to an agent.

I had barely started telling the person on the other side of the line that there was a leak on the bag, when she responded "I am so sorry that you experienced this. We would like to send you a refund so that you can buy a new bag."

I was very pleasantly surprised!

I had called to ask how to fix the leak and instead they gave me a brand new bag. 

I got much more than what I had asked for.

That is a great example of outstanding customer service. 

Congratulations Space Bag for your great job on delighting the customer!

Passbrains: an example of Excellence

 

As I have mentioned in my other blog, one of the things life has taught me is that no matter how hard we try we always make mistakes. What matters is how you recover from them.

What you do about the mistakes you make, shows your character. In my opinion, companies and individuals who readily admit their mistakes, move on and work to prevent it from happening again, are cultivating a good reputation for themselves. As author Leslie Gaines-Ross says "the steps [to recovering from mistakes] cannot be ignored".

Moreover, I believe that even the small details can make a difference in a company's image. For example, whenever I see a typo on a label, I already think less of the company who made the product.

A few days ago I was blessed with a great example of a company working to protect their reputation, even in the smallest way:

"As you might have noticed, the latest passbrains newsletter published few hours back had some quality issues and it did not even display your name correctly in the welcome note. This happened due to a technical glitch in the tool we are using. Please accept our apologies for this occurrence."

I was amazed at Passbrains' perfectionism. Nowadays, most companies wouldn't even bother apologizing for a mistake in their newsletter. Maybe Passbrains did it because the company is naturally focused on quality (for those who don't know, Passbrains is a crowd-sourced software testing services provider).

For me, the attitude displayed by Passbrains demonstrates that they are "walking the talk". They are being consistent with their business purpose. They are showing me that they strive for excellence in everything they do.

As a customer, I wish other companies would follow Passbrains' example.

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