And no, by "you" I don't mean any of you (at least I don't think I do, unless it's your job to respond to customer service emails).
Yup, this one is about customer service. Or more specifically, those "contact us" email links on corporate web sites.
They. Drive. Me. Crazy.
Given that automated phone systems make me want to gouge my eyes out, when I had questions for some corporations lately, I thought I'd try the "email us" links.
For instance, some of you may remember awhile back when I wondered whether or not the little plastic things that hold razors are recyclable. A dinky, little question, I know. But I wondered about it all the same.
So, I headed to the web sites of a few of the larger companies that happen to make razors. I won't name names, you can guess who they are. On January 20, I used their "contact us via email" links on their web sites and asked them this simple question:
I'm wondering if you can tell me what kind of plastic the plastic containers that hold the blades before you put them on the razor handle are made out of. Specifically what number. I am asking because I would like to know if I can recycle them.
Now I get it that companies are big and busy and have people contacting them all day, every day with crazy questions and requests. Believe me, my name is one of the few you can find on my own work's web site, I get my share of unique questions.
The most common one? "Hello Sir [yes, they always call me "Sir"], I am writing to you from the great nation of Iran. I am wondering if you can send me your brochure."
I am quite sure this is a part of some scam. How a scam involves collecting brochures, I don't know. But I have trouble believing there is a great need for brochures from my organization in Iran.
But my name and email are out there for a reason. For people to contact me. And part of my job is to respond.
So maybe I was that crazy lady (my own version of the "I want your brochure" person) emailing that day. I probably was. Yup, in the lunchroom, they probably joked about the nut job who wanted to recycle the teeny things that hold razors. If so, glad I gave them a laugh.
Now the least they could do is give me an answer.
Their response?
Well for awhile, crickets. Nothing. For weeks.
And then this popped up in my email:
Many of our razor components such as the ____ are recyclable but they must be broken down before placed in the recycling centers. We strongly recommend not doing this and rather disposing of the razors in the trash. We are not currently offering a recycling option to send the blades back in.
Hmmm, kind of thinking she didn't read my email. So I sent back a clarifying note and a photo to reiterate my question. I never heard another word.
The other company? They took a month to respond. And their response was:
All of the plastic that is included in our packaging is recyclable with like items. We would always recommend checking with your local waste management to see what numbers of plastic they recycle.
Okay, a little bit better. At least they read my email...kind of.
And really, this is great news, right? Because I know that on recycling day we all separate bags for cans, bottles, plastic bottles, paper and that huge bag of "like items." Yeah, that would be why I asked for what number they were. I didn't know what they were "like."
I wrote back, clarified that, indeed, what I was looking for was the number of the plastic, and asked again. I never heard back.
I did a similar thing recently when I had some questions about light bulbs. I sent emails through the "contact us" form on three different light bulb company's web sites to ask my question. It has been three weeks. None of them ever responded.
So here is my request. Big companies. Small companies. Any companies. If you have a way to contact you listed, expect that people will contact you. And be prepared to respond to them. I'm not talking about an "We're really busy" auto-response. Not a "we'll respond if we like you and want to." You need to respond.
And yes, if you are wondering, I always respond to the Iranian catalog-seekers and ask them which catalog they would like.
I never hear another word back.
Starting to wonder if it's just how people deal with emails from me.
