07-11-2012, 03:06 AM
While I appreciate what you're saying, and understand more about AA and what they offer now, there are some simple facts that the marketplace demands for a company to sustain long term sucess. I have studied companies, seen many seemingly successful companies go belly up, worked customer service from selling guns and anything else, to buying for a $2 million/week company. I love what AA has brought to the market, offering quality and innovation. While demand is high, as it is right now, anybody can succeed by just satisfying 75% of their customers, or even less. But it's how a company takes care of their customers during these times that determines how many return customers they have and how they will succeed in leaner times. I don't care if it's Internet or telegraph, I have dealt with few companies in which you give them your money, and weeks later you do not know if they have the product or not, when they plan to ship the product, or if they've just taken an extended vacation. Customers are demanding people when they fork over their hard earned money, as well they should be. I don't mind waiting, I'm waiting on a Les Baer pistol that will probably be 30 weeks from when I ordered it. But when I call, email, or send a carrier pigeon, they have a way to answer me and acknowledge that they took my money and are taking care of their end of the bargain, and there's a good chance you can talk to Les himself if you have a problem or question. Unemployment is high, and there are quality people out there not working. If somebody is so busy they can't answer the phone, they should be making enough money to hire somebody to answer the phone, no??
I'm not judging AA or saying they aren't aware and working on these issues and certainly not flaming them, and I'm now more aware of the problems they've had with weather and power outages, but I do disagree with your assumption that because somebody wants to know something about what they ordered, they are somehow a product of the new age instant gratification. Not so. I believe it's a simple matter of customer service, which is more old school than new age.
I'm not judging AA or saying they aren't aware and working on these issues and certainly not flaming them, and I'm now more aware of the problems they've had with weather and power outages, but I do disagree with your assumption that because somebody wants to know something about what they ordered, they are somehow a product of the new age instant gratification. Not so. I believe it's a simple matter of customer service, which is more old school than new age.