I wanted to share two examples of Customer Service I have received this week at either extreme of the spectrum.
The first was Hotpoint who serviced my dishwasher. The repair went well and I had no complaints but they called me the same day, presumably to check how it all went. Makes sense, that's good practice right? NOPE. The conversation when something like this:
D&G: Hello this is D&G. Could you confirm your personal details for me please? Me: Umm what's this regarding? D&G: I'm sorry I can't answer that unless you confirm your details. Me: Well if you're calling about my repair it went fine thanks. D&G: Can you please call customers services? Me: Umm, Why? D&G: I'm sorry I can't tell you unless you confirm your details due to data protection. Me: Wait, aren't you customer service? Yeah I'm not playing this game. Bye 👋
The whole exchange reminded me of the "Grounded Vindaloop" episode of South Park. I had actually received great service until that point, they really failed at the last hurdle. I do understand the operator is probably only following instructions and GDPR/Data Protection but when you call someone using the details you gave them when you arranged the repair, is it really necessary to confirm who you are AGAIN?
At the other end of the Spectrum was my dealings with SE Electronics.
I bought an sE Electronics Reflexion Filter Pro for my studio from a seller on eBay.
A Reflexion filter is basically a shield that sits around your microphone to add an additional layer of acoustic treatment so you minimise reflections from your voice bouncing off any hard services in the booth. You have probably seen a lot of acoustic foam tiles or panels in studios. Those soft absorbent surfaces are great for 'deadening' the sound so you hear your voice and not the room you are recording in but they mainly deal with the highs (treble) and not so much the lows (bass).
A Reflexion Filter isn't going to completely cure a bad recording environment but it can make a big difference (loads of people have done reviews on Youtube). If you already have a pretty good space like I do, it just adds the icing on the cake so you get a nice intimate, clear sound & minimise those unwanted frequencies.
Anyway, back to my story. The Ebay Seller sent me a filter that was supposed to be as new but came with a faulty bracket. He claimed it was supposed to be like that so I thought I would email SE for advice before opening a case with the dreaded Ebay 'Resolution Centre'.
To be honest I didn't even expect a response as I didn't buy it directly through them.
Not only did they respond the same day they sent me a brand new updated version of the bracket 😍👏🎙️👍.
They really weren't obliged to do anything at all for me. They would be well within their rights to say 'you should have bought it from a licensed re seller', and they are probably right. So the fact they were willing to help me out meant a lot.
I was already a huge SE Electronics fan, as you can probably tell. In fact my first professional microphone was the Gemini, affectionately described by some reviewers as being as big as a Donkey's dangler!
I also use the SE2200a ll a lot too for its portability & the fact it doesn't seem to pick up unwanted background noise as much as the Gemini, which is rich & detailed but quite sensitive. Neither mic has ever let me down. Perhaps now my acoustic environment has improved dramatically since my newb days, and with the addition of the Reflexion Filter Pro, I might recommission my beloved Gemini (which comes in a very cool James Bond style silver suitcase by the way).
PS: I'm not getting paid to promote SE Electronics. I just genuinely like their stuff!
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