Or maybe C is for Clueless

Dwight Silverman talks to a Dell flack about the many reports of miserable customer service in online forums and on blogs:

I spoke with Jennifer J. Davis, a spokesperson in Dell’s consumer products group, who said that Dell does indeed monitor online blogs and discussion forums. She would not say how many people are engaged in doing so.

However, it’s a policy of look, don’t touch — those monitoring do not respond publicly, nor do they try to make contact pro-actively.

“The best process for getting issues addressed is to contact us directly,” she said.

Clueless. Tell that to the people who have contacted Dell via its own forums and have been ignored or blown off. I know, because I’m one. Tell that to the people who continue to get misinformation from phone reps despite dozens of reports of a problem with power supplies in the Dimension 4600 series. I know, because I’m one.

“With our direct model, we feel like we already have a good, two-way communications channel with our customers,” Davis said.

You’re wrong. But you won’t realize it until you begin to engage in a conversation with your customers.

Thanks for getting this on the record, Dwight.