Author Topic: Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service  (Read 7394 times)

PonoBill

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Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service
« on: September 17, 2014, 02:46:17 PM »
Wow, I had an experience right out of the 90's today--when companies hid behind "policies" to screw their customers. It wasn't as refreshing as you might think.

During the Challenge On The Charles race I was walking down Charles street and saw an interesting pair of sunglasses in a sporting goods store window. Cool-looking, but probably crap lenses, thinks I. Oh, wait, they're Ray Bans. I go in and spend a silly amount of money for them, but I liked them. Even better, Diane liked them on me.

Fast forward two weeks and I'm riding my Norton in Hood River when one lens pops out. Gone. Well, that sucks, but I'm sure RayBan will stand behind them. I go on the website and find that Luxottica (the parent company--who knew?) charges $12.50 just to consider warranty service! WTF!

So I go along, send them the glasses and the check, expecting to get the glasses and the check back quickly. Instead I get a letter saying warranty denied, but because we value you so much as a customer we'll fix the glasses for $44 and keep the $12.50 too. Naturally I went ballistic. Calmed down and called customer service. Got the usual endless wait time, and finally talked to a nice lady who I could immediately tell had no power to do anything. I don't want to unload on some poor kid doing her job, so I said "why don't you just escalate this right now and save both of us the grief". She can't, of course, because that would actually be some level of service. So we do the dance, then she offers to escalate.

The escalation supervisor calls back, and of course she's powerless too. Any company that trashes customers like this is going to do the same to the front line. The upshot is I spent about an hour of my time, which is worth a lot more than the glasses, and all I have is a promise that they will re-evaluate the warranty.

I said "So when they reject it again, ask them to give the reason. I'd like to know that lenses popping out is just my tough luck, or that wearing them on a motorcycle is some form of abuse and not covered. I'm pretty sure the eight motorcycle forums that I frequent will want to know about that.

I expected a Maui Jims-type experience. You send glasses to MJ that you've even done something bone headed to (like sitting on them) and they fix or replace them and send them right back. If you're in Lahina you just drop by and the receptionist takes them to the back room for immediate service. They empower the RECEPTIONIST to make a decision on whether you should be charged, and I've never had them decide to charge me.

I don't generally trash products. I know how hard it is to run a company well these days. But tossing away customers, especially those who routinely buy and trust your brand, is staggeringly stupid. These guys have my attention. They don't get me back as a customer, ever. The only question now is how much do they decide to piss me off. I'm going to make a business case out of this. It should be interesting. And the sort of high blood pressure fun that I should probably avoid--but won't.

« Last Edit: September 17, 2014, 02:54:11 PM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Tom

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Re: Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2014, 03:20:50 PM »
I bought a Rip Curl E-bomb wet-suit at the end of the season sale that I really didn't need yet. I continued to use my older suit mostly the following winter and only used the Rip Curl very occasionally. The following year the metal pull on the zipper broke and I took it to the Rip Curl store here in San Diego. The manager agreed that the suit was hardly worn, the painted logos were bright and shiny. He looked up the serial number and saw that it was more than one year old and said I'd have to pay the $25 to replace the zipper. We called the home office and they said the same thing. I said that a zipper shouldn't fail after only a half dozen uses and they should stand behind their product. The home office manager said that the reason it failed was because I used it in salt water which corrodes metal.

So, if any of you have a Rip Curl wet suit, be sure to keep it out of salt water.

PonoBill

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Re: Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service
« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2014, 03:39:08 PM »
Such a stupid decision to make these days. Some Companies measure their market share and profitability but fail to measure or understand the effect of reputation or abusive policies. They come to the conclusion that customers are fungible and not worth much, when really the entire value of any company that isn't a monopoly is it's customers and reputation. Let either of those slide and the only measurable evidence is a slow degradation that's hard to explain. Companies like Zappos understand the reverse of that process, and are valued because of it. CEOs and management think they're being tough and smart minimizing their warranty costs when it's fundamentally identical to cutting the ad budget--except the customers you're foregoing aren't the new ones that don't have any loyalty--it's the old ones that did.

Feels good when you do it, and then suddenly your business is being sold. And not for top dollar.

Anybody got anything positive to say about these folks? I'm all ears.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

pdxmike

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Re: Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service
« Reply #3 on: September 17, 2014, 03:57:29 PM »
I bought a Rip Curl E-bomb wet-suit at the end of the season sale that I really didn't need yet. I continued to use my older suit mostly the following winter and only used the Rip Curl very occasionally. The following year the metal pull on the zipper broke and I took it to the Rip Curl store here in San Diego. The manager agreed that the suit was hardly worn, the painted logos were bright and shiny. He looked up the serial number and saw that it was more than one year old and said I'd have to pay the $25 to replace the zipper. We called the home office and they said the same thing. I said that a zipper shouldn't fail after only a half dozen uses and they should stand behind their product. The home office manager said that the reason it failed was because I used it in salt water which corrodes metal.

So, if any of you have a Rip Curl wet suit, be sure to keep it out of salt water.
When someone tells me something that stupid, I don't argue, I go with it.  So since that's their position, then yours can be to ask for the entire purchase price back, because they defrauded you by representing that it was suitable for use in salt water.   So you're going to turn them in to the state consumer protection division, post on every surf forum, hire a lawyer, and shut down their company, so they don't defraud others. You have page after page of proof about the fraud on their website--every photo and description that shows or mentions salt water.

hbsteve

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Re: Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service
« Reply #4 on: September 17, 2014, 06:00:18 PM »
The company that owns Ray Ban also owns LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut and many more.  They control over 80% of the worlds major eyewear brands.  So, even tho you, as in general you, not specific to PB, think you are buying a different brand in protest, like maybe not.

PonoBill

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Re: Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service
« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2014, 06:14:00 PM »
Damn, I should have known. The sleek flavor of "we don't care, we don't have to" was pretty pervasive. I guess I'll have to hope Maui Jims stays out of their hands. Oakley's are out.

Turns out there was a 60 minutes piece on Luxottica and how the resultant lack of competition has caused the price of glasses of all types to rise out of proportion to other goods. Kind of a puffy piece, but telling.
« Last Edit: September 17, 2014, 06:16:21 PM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

standuped

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Re: Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service
« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2014, 06:23:55 PM »
I've always been a Smith guy.  Oakley, what did they start out as a hand grip company or some thing.
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pdxmike

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Re: Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service
« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2014, 06:34:39 PM »
The company that owns Ray Ban also owns LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut and many more.  They control over 80% of the worlds major eyewear brands.  So, even tho you, as in general you, not specific to PB, think you are buying a different brand in protest, like maybe not.
Works against the guy who wants to keep his money out of the parent company's hands by not patronizing them, but works for the guy who wants to mess up their business--more targets. 

Tecpartner

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Re: Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service
« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2014, 07:24:38 PM »
I see it all the time.  Businesses count the cost of warranty as an expense line, between GPBOC and GPAOC. What they don't or can't quantify is the "Above the top line" cost.

If the company doesn't own huge market share and the customer doesn't have a complelling reason to buy from the company, the company loses the customer.

If the company owns huge market share, and has a compelling reason why customers have to buy from them, they may not lose the customer, but they lose the customer's good will. And customers don't forget a bad experience. Never.  It may not figure in the balance sheet, but customer good will has a very high value. 

Tom

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Re: Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service
« Reply #9 on: September 17, 2014, 08:04:45 PM »

PonoBill

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Re: Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service
« Reply #10 on: September 17, 2014, 08:07:59 PM »
Here's the 60 minutes piece. We're being hosed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDdq2rIqAlM
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

OUTSIDEWAVE

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Re: Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service
« Reply #11 on: September 20, 2014, 08:27:54 AM »
so  PB if I understand you correctly I can take my old Maui Jims  That my dog sat on( My bernese rides shotgun in my Jeep) and send them in to get fixed for free?

AS far as every other company that doesn't  give good customer service   I'll take my money else where So ripcurl  no more money  nada  same to you Ray ban.
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andygere

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Re: Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service
« Reply #12 on: September 20, 2014, 11:11:29 AM »
That's too bad, I've been wearing Ray Ban's for years.  When they were owned by Bauch and Lomb, they had great customer service.  I had a pair of Wayfarers that were several years old, and the temple piece cracked at the hinge.  I didn't have a receipt, but after a few minutes on the phone got the details on how to send them in for repair.  About 2 weeks later, a brand new pair arrived in my mailbox, no charge.  I had the same results on two other pairs over the years, it made me a loyal customer of the brand.  No more Ray Bans for me these days, and lots of other good choices out there.  I love the Native brand specs I have, and my new Kaenons.

PonoBill

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Re: Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service
« Reply #13 on: September 20, 2014, 11:38:25 AM »
so  PB if I understand you correctly I can take my old Maui Jims  That my dog sat on( My bernese rides shotgun in my Jeep) and send them in to get fixed for free?

AS far as every other company that doesn't  give good customer service   I'll take my money else where So ripcurl  no more money  nada  same to you Ray ban.

Give it a go. thet fixed a pair of titanium specs that I sat on. Cracked both lenses. Not a dime. I brought them into the Lahina offices and showed them to the receptionist, told her I sat on then, but would it be cheaper to buy new lenses since the titanium frame looked OK. I had no expectations, but she handed them back to me an hour later--refused payment. I'll be a fan for life unless they get squeezed into selling to Luxottica like Oakley did.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

surfKnobby

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Re: Ray Ban's Customer Non-Service
« Reply #14 on: September 21, 2014, 05:59:36 AM »
Back in the mid 70's I was racing the national motocross circuit and the guy that started Oakley, Jim Jannard, would show up at the races and hand out Oakley grips and swag to the riders. The grips sucked, but the swag was cool. This was before they made sunglasses. They used to have great customer service before he sold out to Luxottica for 2.15 billion several years ago. He did pretty good.

 


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