But that's what you asked for
Not in the sense of "Please, sir, I want some more," but in the sense of "Yooooou asked for it…"
Planned obsolescence, this years' model, just throw it away, fashion, consumerism…the typical person has been trained away from seeing any permanent value in anything. I really think that trained response has as much to do with the national divorce rate as anything specific any human may do.
Quote of note:
The problem? Too many companies confuse selling clever gadgets at good prices with delighting customers. When so many products get cheaper every year, offering customers a great bargain will not necessarily win their loyalty. Someone else is bound to offer a better bargain, and besides, most customers have come to expect good deals. "Price has an effect on whether you buy or not," Dr. Fornell says. "It has less of an impact on whether you're satisfied or not."
Companies Find They Can't Buy Love With Bargains
By WILLIAM C. TAYLOR
CORPORATE executives have plenty to worry about these days: a sideways stock market, the backlash against offshoring and additional scrutiny from regulators. But they may want to pay attention to one more worrisome issue - a rocky relationship with customers.
Companies are offering the best bargains in history. It has never been cheaper to fly from Dallas to Los Angeles, to make a phone call from Boston to Brussels or to buy a computer or a DVD player. Yet the harder companies work to make products cheaper and better, the less they seem to impress their customers.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index, the definitive benchmark of how buyers feel about what business is selling them, will reach its 10-year anniversary this fall. For business - the index measures satisfaction for 200 companies in 40 industries - it is hardly a cause for celebration. Some scores have risen in the last few years, but many industries and companies rate lower today than they did in 1994, and the index is down over all.
A decade ago, on a scale of 0 to 100, the overall index was 74.8. The most recent score was 74.4. Back then, the airline industry was at 72; the most recent score was 66. Telecommunications was at 81; the most recent score was 71. Personal computers were at 78; the most recent score was 72.
The bottom line is that despite a decade of spectacular advances in hardware price and performance, as well as an explosion of innovation in consumer electronics, mobile phones, Internet access and low-cost travel, customers remain unmoved, even downright unappreciative.
