A woman gave her sister a package of diapers for her little baby to use during her first days of life. When the mother opened the package, she noticed the stickers did not work. The same happened with other diapers. With the intention of letting this be known, the aunt decided to write what happened to her manufacturer´s Facebook page. In a matter of hours - and in spite of having submitted his claim during the weekend- the company answered-by using the same media- and indicated the woman what to do in order to compensate her for the troubles caused.
Today, social networks are allies; the client feels more powerful and complaints have a wider scope. Some time ago, this would have been a comment among friends, but today it can virtually get anywhere. Companies are aware of the situation and are trying to adapt to the new reality.
The expert believes companies are tempted to avoid answering the complaints since the cost of answering them is visible, while ignoring them is invisible. "What companies do not realize is that in the long run, the cost of not answering is higher than the cost of answering," he said.
In order to avoid becoming involved in these situations, Fernández suggests, in the first place, to take into consideration the effects these matters may have. Then, it is important to structure the procedure. According to Férnandez, the company may learn which are the most common complaints, and prepare possible responses for those scenarios. Lastly, the company should have some kind of "gesture" with the customer in order to have their trust back.
Communications on Top
The area of consumer protection is the one receiving the complaints from consumers.
In 2013, this office -which reports to the Commerce National Bureau of the Ministry of Finance and Economy - reported a total of 26,604 complaints.
During such period, the two areas receiving the greatest number of calls were the communication area (14.64%) and the financial services area (12.58%).
A third of the calls received during the past year (33,4%) were from 20 providers.
The Chief of the Area of Consumer Protection, Ana María Sánchez, said that although there is a progressive increase in the amount of calls they receive every year, it is not an abrupt growth.
Lea esta nota en español aquí.
