iRobot Customer Service Silliness

iRobot just won an "Elite" award for its customer relations management, but they aren't perfect.
The Smart (Enough) Systems blog rips iRobot's customer service in one respect: The author bought a three robot package (Roomba, Scooba, Dirt Dog) but decided he didn't want to keep the Scooba during the 30-day return window. The company forced him to return ALL THREE ROBOTS to get a refund and then repurchase the TWO robots he wanted to keep. iRobot then had to refurb 3 robots instead of one and inconvenienced one of their better customers (who must have shelled out $700-$800) to boot. Apparently, prorating the cost was beyond the customer service rep's and/or iRobot's computer system's ability. It would have been a little bit complicated, given that these three robot packages include a Free Dirt Dog promo, but it would have been simple enough if iRobot had simply said, okay dude, we will refund the difference between the package price and the price of the Roomba and Dirt Dog on their own. This, of course, would save iRobot money and make customers happy! iRobot also had the bad luck to do this to a guy who writes books about "Enterprise Decision Management" for a living. Or perhaps, if they can fix this problem (which shouldn't be too hard), maybe they should send him a check and thank him for pointing out how they can get better. Hopefully the iRobot employees who read this will give customer service (which is outsourced) a memo.

(thx, micro)

Tags: iRobot, robot