Why Customer Care Matters More Online

I’m a big online shopper – have been for years. I got into the habit by buying vintage dresses from Ebay and Etsy, where reading reviews before ordering is standard. After all, when you’re buying something sight-unseen, some level of trust – that the seller will ship the product, as described, for the stated price, in a reasonable amount of time – is required.

Stores must be held to the same standards as individual sellers. And if it becomes clear that they don’t care about customer service, I’m done with them. Customer care is always important – and even more so when it comes to online shopping.

Why Customer Care Matters More Online:

• Buying something sight-unseen is risky – if you can’t trust the seller to make good on your purchase, you could be throwing your money away
• It’s easier to find what you want elsewhere
• If the seller acts dishonestly, it’s easy to capture proof – and share it (one of the many reasons online stores should focus on customer care)

So what brings this up? This weekend, I learned that Lord & Taylor does NOT value customer service. I should have known better: now that I’ve looked online, read their Facebook page, and checked out Twitter, I can see that Lord & Taylor’s poor customer service and glitchy checkout process is a common complaint. Read on for the juicy details . . .