The goal of a businessman is to sell his products. And not just once.
To be successful a business needs repeat customers, and a repeat customer is basically a satisfied customer.
But how does a company know that his customers are happy?
To survive and flourish, a business needs a window to the outside world. And today this window is a website where it can show and promote its products.
One of the essential component of a good website is a communication channel. If a customer is dissatisfied, he wants the merchant to know it (at least I do). If he cannot express his unhappiness, he will never shop there again.
Amazingly many websites lack such an outlet.
The duty of a consumer (yes, consumers have to play their part) is to let a business know when he is dissatisfied. If he unable to do such a thing, he will get sore and bitterly badmouth the offending business.
To prevent such a thing, an organization needs to have a listening post, and be responsive. A mollified customer is usually a return customer.
A thoughtful website should also publish comments, good AND bad. And be truthful about it.
What prompted me to write this little piece is my experience with an ascending outfit called AirBnB.
AirBnB promotes worldwide the subletting of private rooms or apartments to travelers who want the comfort of home away from home. It has a glossy website full of appealing photographs and highly favorable comments.
I found the pictures and the description of the facilities advertised on the site to be highly questionable. Out of the 3 locations that I rented, I found 2 to be subpar.
The bathroom and the toilets of these flats would be laughable and totally unacceptable in the US.
I posted critical comments about these two places on AirBnB; they were never published. This leads me to question the veracity of all the other suspiciously favorable comments.
Personally, I am doubtful that I will ever use this outfit again. Especially in Paris.
If a landlord (and the outfit that sponsoring him) is playing fast and loose with the facts, he is to be confronted and exposed.
If it hurts, don’t sulk; complain, LOUDLY (especially on a social media)!
Alain
Boy, do we agree on this one, esp. in Paris ! We stayed at one flat found thru the website in question. It was filthy and the bathroom was disgusting. The shower was nothing more than a four-sided cubical, three of which were metal sheets. Description as convenient was accurate, but the pix and text about the flat were not. When it rained, water came thru the skylight and onto the bed. Our review never appeared either. Even the coffee maker was too dirty to use.
We’ve used AirBnb in the USA and in Phuket Island, Thailand. All of those experiences were top notch! It’s good to know that in Paris, it may not be as represented.
Thanks for the heads up!
Adding: When I used AirBnb for the Men’s Confed Cup team in Canada, the apartment itself was great, but it didn’t have an air conditioner, which would have been appreciated. Now I know to require one, when I book in Montreal.