Customer service, mistakes and triumphs...

Have you ever had a company you bought something make a mistake on your order? Most of us have.

How a company handles the mistake they make can make or break the relationship they have with you.
Now not all customers are understanding when a mistake is made - they figure that everyone should be perfect and that is just a non human concept - no one gets it right all of the time, but when a company makes a mistake if they own up to it right away and say OH, crap...sorry what can we do to fix this or make this rotten situation better - well they generally earn your respect.  If they argue with you or try to shuffle the blame - after you get your order rectified - they will probably never see the backside of you again.

As a business owner and a consumer I have been on both sides of this fence. As a business owner I do my best for my customers, I do not always get it right but I do my best to make sure that when an oops happens it is rectified right away and find creative solutions to the issue at hand.

Sometimes I am both the business owner and the consumer - relying on a contractor to deliver a product to me that I have designed/created to be delivered to me the way I ordered it and on time.

Sometimes stuff goes sideways on the contractors end of this, a break down in communication, a shipping company that messes up, there are so many variables in attempting to live up to your word.

I have had companies argue with me even when I have provided them with absolute proof that I did not make the mistake or error, other times I have had to eat crow - for me, the relationship I want in business and as a consumer is one that makes me feel wanted and valued.

I need insurance for the upcoming trade show season and to buy it from the show people's insurance companies is nothing short of rape, I also needed a quote for general liability insurance for the business as a whole. So I put out emails to several companies for quotes. Yesterday I got an phone call from an insurance broker for an insurance brokerage house called KTX in Ontario answering my query. After a couple of questions about my business the gent sent me an email with an application.

After puzzling over how to fill this thing out, I emailed him asking for help to understand the form. I got a rather kurt response saying it was a general media form and that some sections might not apply to me, but no help with figuring out what did and did not apply to me. I sent another email asking for help.

In the meantime another broker contacted me, asked me a ton of questions and submitted the applications for quotes on my behalf. I am supposed to have answers from them today.  So I emailed the gentleman back from KTX and let him know that I would be working with a different broker, one that was willing to answer my questions and help me fill out forms, the response I got from him FLOORED ME...

"OK, sorry. The office here is unusually busy with existing clients at the moment, we need to give them priority at this time."

Great way to make someone feel wanted and valued as a potential customer, thanks for wasting my time.

Why not, during that first conversation tell me right up front "we are swamped and under staffed and can not take on new clients right now - here are some other houses that might be able to give you the attention and assistance you will need"...I would have respected and remembered him the next time I was in the market - now I will for sure remember him but not because I respect him.

You see once a brokerage house starts work on your behalf no one else is allowed to get quotes from the companies that they do - its a conflict - so thank the good lord I did not send him the application because I would not have gotten insurance anywhere else. 

Now on the side where I have dropped the ball - I got an email from someone who ordered a remembrance patch - he had actually ordered two but I had a platinum blonde moment, and mixed his order for two up with another order for one. I got an email asking me to check on the situation - I told the man the truth - pick me I messed that up - I filled a lot of orders and I screwed yours up - I will get the other patch on it's way - right away...my hope is that the gent understands that I am human, messed up and will fix it to the best of my ability...that I value him, because I do.

Customer service is about value and relationships, you have to place value on your customers both existing and potential cause if you don't you will never have the chance to build a real relationship with them and keep earning their business or trust.

I would love to hear your thoughts on customer service - tell me about your great customer service stories and how someone took a lemon and made lemonade for you when stuff went sideways....cause you know what - every time you share with me - I learn something really valuable that helps me become better at what I do.

There are some interesting articles in the news feeds today, I leave you to go explore them for yourself over at www.beltdrivebetty.com

Before I sign off, here are a couple of funnies from around the net and from friends over on Facebook and by email that brightened my day - hope they will brighten yours too...

Have a fantastic Friday and a wonderful weekend...

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider

So what happened to....

So, anyone out there know what happened to Clutch & Chrome Magazine? They just vanished and some weird search engine has their domain name now: http://www.clutchandchrome.com/

That's just crappy - cause I loved their site - they always had great news to share too.

As a matter of fact I was surprised at the number of motorcycle publications closing down, being sold...it's definitely a strange time in the industry!

It's a quiet news feeds day which is not surprising after the run we had yesterday...but there are some great articles on motorcycle models like the new Husqvarna Street Bike and the Honda Fury...
Yamaha came out with some really sharp looking rides at the Tokyo Motor Show

For the Adventure rider there is a great article from Motorcyclists Magazine.

But the BEST piece in the news today is about the Harley Dealer in St Paul who is suing the Motor Corp over their desire to prevent H-D dealers selling on line.  He won a ruling from a US District Court Judge that prevents H-D from imposing their ban of sales on third party web sites and to international customers until February of 2012 to allow the dealer and the factory to come to an agreement.

See folks - you CAN fight the big boys and win if you are willing to stand up for what you believe in - CONGRATS Tom Giannetti,  your fight against the Motor Corp is a win for consumers around the world!

That is it for me today - it is Newspaper delivery day - your provincial Belt Drive Betty Newsletter and your National Busted Knuckle Newspaper should be in your in box!

I have a very special Happy Birthday wish - it is Ali, our wonderful web mistress's birthday today - I hope you will join me in wishing her a WONDERFUL day!

I will leave you with a couple of funnies from around the net - ones friends have either emailed me or shared on Facebook cause you know a day without a little laughter is just a waste!

Have a fabulous Thursday!

Belt Drive Betty,
Editor & Rider

A wild and wooly news day!

I was woken up at 2 am by the sweet first ever kisses from my newest rescue cat - Found. 

It was so unexpected that I woke up and was WIDE awake. Part of the reason for that I guess is that I found it sweet - he really has adopted us! Anyway - I couldn't go back to sleep so I got up and started work at 2am. Man am I glad that I did. I had thought I would get a jump on some of the back log of work I have, but nope, not to be -there were easily 25 good articles in the news today!

There is such a wide variety of news today, a stunt that went horribly wrong in Brazil to a guy who has the most amazing drifting skills on a bike...an article on a 79 Honda cafe racer that has been converted to electric...very cool. On the Police One site there is an article on electric motorcycles as cop bikes I found pretty interesting...

In Toronto they are talking about taking away free parking for motorcycles

In Austin Texas - Motorcycle Medics are working out really well...

In North Carolina they are talking motorcycle noise - AGAIN...

The Triumph history feature linked here is very worth reading...

In the UK - Bohnams is auctioning off 50 motorcycles discovered in a barn.

There are at least another 10 - 12 articles that may prove of interest to some of you....check them all out at www.beltdrivebetty.com

Now for the story that has me wondering...You had to know I would pick on something to dissect!

A man with no criminal record and who has been a permanent resident in Canada for 40 years may be deported by our government because of a recent court ruling.

Before I get into this topic - please note, I am no lover of crime but I am definitely against profiling and this judges decision in my humble opinion is just that - profiling.

The man may be expelled from Canada simply because he was/is a full patched member of the Hells Angels. According to the article: "Mr. Stables said he left the bikers in 2009 but the IRB ruling noted that his gang tattoo still showed no “exit date.”

Begin Quote: "Mr. Stables admitted in court that he was a full-patch Hells Angel but he would not concede that the biker club is a criminal organization.

The judge, however, said the evidence was overwhelming that the Angels were “first and foremost” a group involved in drug trafficking, extortion, theft and murder.

“This is not a case where the applicant did not know the nature of the organization until it was too late – either he did not care or chose to be willfully blind to its activities,” Judge De Montigny wrote.
“Clearly, the framers of the Charter [of Rights] could not have intended that the applicant’s membership in the Hells Angels could be protected through his freedom of association and expression, despite the overwhelming criminal history of the organization.”

Mr. Stables came to Canada from Scotland when he was seven years old.

After joining the Hells Angels in 2000, Mr. Stables held senior positions. For seven years, he was the treasurer of 10 of the Ontario Hells Angels chapters. Also, at one point he was a sergeant-at-arms, a position another court ruling has defined as being in charge of the security of a chapter’s members and clubhouse.

His immigration troubles began in November of 2006, when he landed at Vancouver International Airport and officials found Hells Angels paraphernalia on him.

Immigration and Refugee Board Judge Ama Beecham ruled in 2010 that he is not admissible to remain in Canada." End Quote

When the Government of Canada finally expelled Ernst Zundel from Canada they used many of the same arguments the judge in this case did. However there is one major difference between the two - Ernst Zundel was a well know hate monger/white supremacist

According to Wikipedia: "Zündel underwent two criminal trials in 1985 and 1988. The charge against Zündel alleged that he "did publish a statement or tale, namely, "Did Six Million Really Die?" that he knows is false and that is likely to cause mischief to the public interest in social and racial tolerance, contrary to the Criminal Code." After a much publicized trial in 1985, Zündel was found guilty. After his conviction, Zündel was able to have it overturned in an appeal on a legal technicality, leading to a second trial in 1988, in which he was again convicted. Zündel was originally found guilty by two juries but was finally acquitted upon appeal by the Supreme Court of Canada which held in 1992 that section 181 (formerly known as section 177) was a violation of the guarantees of freedom of expression under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The 1988 trial was notable for its reliance on testimony from individuals such as David Irving and Fred A. Leuchter, a self-taught technician in execution technology.[36] Leuchter's testimony as an expert witness was accepted by the court, but his accompanying Leuchter report was excluded, based on his lack of engineering credentials. In 1985, key expert testimony against Zündel's alleged Holocaust denial was provided at great lengths by Holocaust historian, Raul Hilberg. Hilberg refused to testify at Zündel's 1988 trial. Zündel was convicted in 1988 and sentenced to 15 months imprisonment by an Ontario court; however, in 1992 in R. v. Zündel his conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court of Canada when the law he had been charged under, reporting false news, was ruled unconstitutional.[37] End Quote

Mr. Stables, unlike Mr. Zundel, has never had any such back ground and yet faces deportation for the very same reasons as Mr. Zundel finally did.

I would like your thoughts on this subject...is this profiling or good immigration policies?

I leave you with a few funnies that have had me chuckling - shared by friends through Email and FB, thought you might enjoy a giggle to start your day too.

Have a fabulous HUMP day...

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider

When punks run rampant....it affects EVERYONE Else...

There is an article in the news feeds today out of Australia about 2 "punks" who attempted to kill a Bandidos enforcer. These idiots were shooting in broad daylight, in the streets and narrowly missed killing a kid in a car seat when three bullets ended up in a car of a man who had his three kids with him.

This is so reminiscent of the Rock Machine/HA wars - no one minds when bad guys start offing each other but when innocents are caught up in the middle things get really ugly.  So now, with the new laws Australia has passed and this kind of flagrant stupidity happening I can only imagine that things will get far worse in Australia for bikers.

It is so sad how the regular, ordinary, every day biker always gets to pay for the sins of the few.

There is another article in the feeds that caught my eye - a Motorcycle Tour to GREECE.
That is one country I have always wanted to go to - however the tour is only 13 days long....if I was going to go I think I would want at least three weeks.

What is your dream motorcycle vacation? If money was NO OBJECT - where in the world would you want to ride?

I would love to know!

I have a ton of work to do today so I will leave you to discover the rest of the news in the feeds this morning on www.beltdrivebetty.com but before I sign off for the day I want to leave you with a couple of fines from around the net that have been shared with me by email or on Facebook...

Have a FABULOUS Tuesday everyone...

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider

Helmet Laws - some interesting thoughts

The debate about helmets runs long and deep. It is a topic of contention whether you are a rider or not.

Some feel that no matter who you are, what your personal opinions are, you should be forced to wear a helmet and they back that up with comments like - you have no right to be a burden on health care because of your choice or it's about saving lives.

While on the surface those both seem to be valid arguments, there is one rider out there who brings up a few valid points on the pro choice side of things:

Begin Quote: Yes, some motorcycling fatalities would be avoided if all bikers wore helmets. But far many more lives would be saved if automobile drivers and passengers wore helmets. Most auto fatalities are head trauma-related. Why don't we force auto drivers and passengers to wear helmets? Because the general population would never vote that into law.

Yes, hospitals sometimes pass on the cost of caring for underinsured motorcycle accident patients. But we all pay hospital costs for many lifestyle choices made by others. We pay for overeaters, smokers, alcoholics, drug addicts — the list goes on and on. Bikers represent the smallest percentage of hospital costs that might be passed on to the public.

Another aspect of this debate is a common discussion among bikers. Would we want to survive an accident? A helmet might save our lives, but what quality of life would we have? Some bikers would rather be knocked unconscious immediately, and possibly not survive an accident, than to remain alert through the entire, painful, terrifying ordeal and spend the rest of their "lives" in a wheelchair, coma or worse.

Two months ago, I was riding with a group of bikers on State Road A1A. The car in front of us was weaving back and forth for miles, from the middle stripe to the right edge of the road. She eventually drove into the ditch and then back onto the road. She was on her cellphone.

If you really wish to save many lives and lots of money, outlaw tobacco, alcohol and distracted car drivers. But the politicians and the public will never vote to ban those life-threatening choices.  Michael Gluckman" End Quote

Now - I have been examining his statements for validity and here's what I have found, know& feel:

1) His statement regarding auto fatalities and head trauma appear to be true: http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=441

2) I feel that his personal opinion regarding why helmets are not required when driving and automobile are true.

3) He is correct when he talks about the health care system and how healthcare expense is often about lifestyle.

4) His comments about personal choice is a valid one as I personally have had that same discussion about quality of life with other riders.

5) His comments about banning, tobacco, alcohol and distracted drivers saving lives and the fact that those things would never happen is exceedingly valid.

The man presents a very level and balanced argument for his opinion that there are many other health hazards.

For those of you who feel that helmets should be mandatory, how do you counter is arguments?

For those of you who feel that helmets should be about choice, what would you add to his comments?

I would LOVE to know...join the discussion here in my blog, on FB or Twitter ...

I would like to thank the many people who have already purchased their Bikers United in Remembrance Patches. $5 from every patch we sell is being split between Camp Maple Leaf and the Military Families Fund.

For riding clubs who want to sell the patches as a fundraiser for a military charity of their choice, any where in the world, contact me. If you are from Canada or the US, you can bulk purchase the patches through me. By combining everyone's bulk orders we get really great prices on the patches and I sell them to the clubs for dead cost - the small profit made on the patches over and above the $5 donation requirement can either be kept by the club to assist with the payments for trade show booths or other necessities of the club/group. As I said all I ask is that a minimum of $5 goes to a military charity.

If you are over seas, I will provide you with the High Resolution image for digitization of patches in your own country. All I ask is that the patch not be altered in any way, that you provide a link to my web site and donate at least $5 to a military charity.

We will have the patches available at the Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver Bike shows...

And for those of you who l I've in Ontario, the patches will be available through the Canadian Veteran Freedom Riders and the Veterans Emergency Transition Services.  

Cookie will also have patches available in the Havelock Ontario area shortly.

There are some interesting articles in the news feeds from the weekend, visit www.beletdrivebetty.com to read all about them.

Congratulations the BC Lions on their Grey Cup win, I was cheering for the Bombers as I was born in Manitoba so sucks to be me and my team today.

I leave you with a few funnies from around the net, from friends on FB and those who have emailed me...cause hey, it's Monday and on no other day of the week do you need a giggle more!

Have a fantastic Monday everyone...

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider