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Big brand bullies have no place in consumer minds

Cape Town – Consumers are no longer prepared to be taken for granted by big brands.

This was the message from Fin24 users, who shared their sentiment about customer service.

Fin24 user Sbusiso Khumalo, who spends R600 a month with Cell C, said their handling of the situation was “repugnant”.  “I will vote with my money and will encourage other customers to express solidarity with [George Prokas] by boycotting Cell C.”

Fin24 user Farieda was proud of Prokas, “who fought back one of these multinational bullies”.

“We the consumers make them who they are,” she said. “More people should stand up to these big companies who fleece them daily.”

Brands must not sink in the mire of ignorance, said Fin24 user Tony Lovegrove. “Brand value is precious, simply because it takes years to establish strategically,” he said. “It takes a constant game plan and mind set to continue brand value input. When brand mangers (the gatekeepers) become ignorant, a Cell C happens.”

The customer is king, said Fin24 user Fred Mokotjo. “The brands should listen to the customer and act towards resolving their respective problems to save their reputation.”

The best way to manage your brand is to give high quality service and support, said Fin24 user Vanessa Higginson.

“Brand loyalty and reputation will follow as they are an integral part of the equation,” she said. “Part of that is also staff training, regularly with frequent refreshers.”

“Managers must be accessible and helpful and not hide behind a mostly useless and ignorant call centre and its operators,” she said. “The customer is king or queen and a problem the staff member cannot solve is one which must be promptly escalated to a manager who can and will resolve it promptly.

“How hard is that at the end of the day? Excellent service has to equal great brand loyalty and great benefit to the bottom line, she said. “This is common sense and there is an issue of respect in this. If you don’t respect the customer and treat them as you would expect to be treated then when the plane falls out of the sky you have only yourself to blame!”

Fin24 user Ken Ngundu said: “Indeed it's quite true that big brands are taking their customers for granted.”

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