Saturday 8 February 2020

Writing a review

of my "shopping experience" or being asked to "tell us how we did" and more are beginning to make me want to scream.
This seems to be part of the "on-line shopping experience". It doesn't occur in the bricks and mortar world. 
If I go into my local bookshop (a place I love) the staff know me. I can buy what I need or want, pay for it and say "thank you" like a good little well brought up cat and that is it. I do not have to "review" my experience.
The "on line" buying world doesn't seem to operate by the same rules. They want me to "review" and tell them "how (they) did". They say it is so that others will know that they are reliable and safe to buy from. Perhaps. It seems more likely that they want their customers to do their advertising for them.
I bought something for the Senior Cat recently. The item was not available here. We made inquiries and the most likely and most helpful place here told us "only available on line".  They could order it or we could order it. It would be faster if we ordered it. I ordered it. And yes, it arrived promptly. I acknowledged the arrival and thanked them.
It should have been an end to the matter but I then had a request from them to "review my shopping experience". I ignored it. I then had another "reminder" that I had not yet done this. I ignored that too. I then had a "query". What was wrong? Why hadn't I done this? I have ignored that too.
I fill out enough forms in my day job. I don't need to do this. I thanked them and that should be sufficient.
And it isn't even just on line shops that are trying to demand feedback now. The Post Office has sent messages wanting to know what I thought of their service. The bank asked me the other day. (They warned me in advance it was going to happen.) A "public service" department asked me after I had given them information they had requested.  (It would have been much more appropriate for me to be asking them for feedback about my performance!)
It seems that everyone wants "feedback" in order to advertise themselves or perhaps, in a small number of cases, to reassure themselves. Thanking people apparently isn't sufficient any more.
I have thought about this. I am wondering if it is because we don't have enough face-to-face contact any more?

1 comment:

kayT said...

You're in good company; this is a very annoying trend. And you are right that they want to use us as advertising, either by saying "90% of our customers are totally satisfied" or by asking, as some do, if your review can be "shared with our customers" or some such. I ignore them all but it's still very annoying.