What is wrong with SA businesses?

Well I've had a really positive experience with a service provider this morning, responded to me with 30 minutes of my initial contact email, they have given me advice as well as a costing within a period of 3 hours this morning. Not too shabby for a Saturday. So some businesses do get it right.
 
Zoomzoom said:
Nope but if I did ...
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If my aunty had balls :D

But seriously, why do you think these bad businesses remain in business year after year? The reason is that nobody competes with them. New competitors encounter all the same problems that existing businesses encounter. It is naive to think you could walk in and simply deliver a superior service. Especially as someone who has zero experience of the inherent pitfalls and obstacles of delivering.

All the businesses you contacted all rely on the same bad suppliers, and bad service providers that you and I rely on. The same ones who don't answer calls, don't get back to you, blah, blah. There is no magical super-efficient category of vendors that serve these businesses. They are at the mercy of the same bad service you get in every day life. It is an entire culture of bad service which has an exponential effect across all businesses in SA.
 
Sorry but I'm not backing down on this.

This is the 21st century - the businesses concerned realise this enough to have a website - which is where it basically ends.

Said website looks like it was done by a generic package - add pictures here - text there - press post.

The pictures are generally teeny tiny grain 'optimised for web' (yes we USED to only upload teeny tiny downsized pics, glad you finally got that message, but in the meantime we went off dial-up and onto broadband and *gasp* faster so now we make sure our customers can SEE the picture) and are basically useless.

You are trying to see something via the picture because the information is generally lacking. I, as a member of the public, REALLY don't give a toss what the flipping part number or technical specs are (which generally are from the manufacturer and not the specs I would need anyway). I want to know a. what it does b. how it compares to the other units i.e. how do I decide which one I need c. how much it is d. where can I get it? If you really need to put that information on there for the builders - it's called a PDF.

I get that with the shifting exchange rate prices might be fluid - but hey get a properly designed website and get your office person (you do have one of those?) to learn how to upload the current price list (you do actually have one somewhere right?) as a PDF if necessary but don't make me waste a damn phone call trying to call your office, to talk to 5 different people before I get the one who MIGHT know what the prices are, but who can't answer a single other question ....

If you care enough about online business to realise that it MIGHT generate business and you put a contact form / email online HAVE SOMEONE BLOODY ANSWER THEM IN GOOD TIME! Seriously there are companies that it has been more than a month since I sent an email with no reply at all of any kind.

If you have an online store - these are marginally (but not by much if they are a smaller company) better in terms of having prices etc but service when something goes wrong? HA! It's like service is a dirty word in South Africa. IF and here is the shocker when you sort out problems when you f-ck up in a good way you earn yourself a grateful and loyal customer. Even when things go wrong, they tend to be more forgiving because you are usually amazing. This isn't rocket science.

As for delivery - I get that not all small companies can absorb the cost of delivery - but hey don't insist that the post office is the only way you do it - because seriously if you aren't gatvol with the complaints from missing / delayed / vanished into the aether parcels you should be, because we, the customers, are.

I'm really letting every moan I have hang out because don't bloody defend the cr@p that goes on.
 
Zoomzoom said:
As a customer I DO NOT GIVE A **** that is YOUR problem not mine. Run your business properly despite all the problems otherwise you won't have one at all.
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Lawl. What business are you running?

What were you looking for anyway? Bricks? Paint? Door knobs?

Arthur said:
Zooms, you must know that businesses cater to serve their largest market. And those vary greatly.

I suspect that >80% of the business done by building supplies companies is to builders and tradesmen who have accounts and phone/walk-in relationships with their suppliers. They don't do quotes and orders through the internet as that would take too long. For them, trying to manage stock and pricing on a website (with an interface to their transactional and inventory systems) would add a level of complication and cost they cannot possibly justify for a tiny fraction of their revenue. Internet-based business for most building supplies outlets in SA is minuscule, and likely to remain so for many years even if they had full online web-accessible systems.

I'm not defending rotten service, unresponsiveness, or uncompetitive pricing. Just saying that your rant against "SA business" is too sweeping and unconsidered.

Most business people I know - small and large - are pretty passionate about and focused on delivering the best value they can to their customers - in a competitive environment that's how you get to stay in business and keep an onion in the soup. And the building supplies business is very competitive, especially with customers who want to save another 1% on things like gutter brackets.
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Well said.
 
Zoomzoom said:
Sorry but I'm not backing down on this.
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I actually agree with you on this.

Most of those websites are done by a 3rd party (unknown 1 man hosting business with web design on the side) so the 3rd party is doing the updating, mostly 1 or 2 times a year.

Just last week:

1 Wanted to buy a little PA system for a small school. Contact 3 web shops to ask for much needed specs on the speakers as there were none on the sites. No response for 2 days. Contacted the manufacturer (local) and ask for the damn specs as none of his sellers list them anywhere. Instead of providing the info, rep asked for my details to forward to a dealer. Bought a more expensive different system instead.

2 Looked for a specialized printer for a certain task. Contact 4 suppliers, none of them have any prices on their sites. Ask for the prices, everybody asked for my fcking details as if i just ask for classified info. Bought it direct from the importer.

It's really a sad situation with business here. Of course not all of them, but this is one area where the good ones really is a tiny minority.
 
Arthur said:
Perhaps the building trade at retail level is unresponsive. But I do think it's an unfair generalisation to extend that criticism to "SA businesses". I have pretty high expectations when it comes to service, and on the whole I find our first-world businesses pretty good, responsive, and professional. Especially B2B.



/prepares to get blasted
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Was about to post exactly this.
 
FYI the assumption that I am looking for stuff aimed at 'builders and tradespeople' is incorrect.

I've been trying to price and get information on:

solar systems
alternative water heating other than solar
geysers
light fittings
tiles
bathroom fittings
kitchen cupboards

So exactly how are all of those 'trade' enquiries?

Buying things online:

Clothes
Gifts
non-perishable food (tins, dry goods, pet food)
essential oils
cosmetics

The height of ridiculous was going into a bath store and being told 'they don't have prices unless they come and do a quote'. Are you KIDDING ME? Guess where I am NOT buying a bath?
 
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Arthur said:
Perhaps the building trade at retail level is unresponsive. But I do think it's an unfair generalisation to extend that criticism to "SA businesses". I have pretty high expectations when it comes to service, and on the whole I find our first-world businesses pretty good, responsive, and professional. Especially B2B.



/prepares to get blasted
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The problem is there is no motivation for employees to work. So unless the business owner is involved with the sale they tend to faff about and waste your time.

This is highlighted in December, where noone wants to work, so they will ignore you until it's time for them to shut down for the holiday period.

My uncle from Kenya, who has spent in excess of 50 mill in SA on trucks in 2015 is still shocked with the business attitude he gets when he is in SA. The first time he came here to buy , he only did so because he was getting no response to emails.

Let's be honest , Saffers dont like money...they just like complaining about the lack of it
 
imranpanji said:
Let's be honest , Most Saffers dont like money...they just like complaining about the lack of it
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FTFY. Exactly why I have a list of saved contacts. Anybody can sell, not everybody can deliver a service.

On an aside, and example of why I fixed it: had a nice experience recently. Mailed Comx to inquire if they have stock on an scarce item. Reply 4 minutes later. Here's to you Tony! I will check with you in future as Comx provisionally made it onto my short list. :)
 
Sollie said:
FTFY. Exactly why I have a list of saved contacts. Anybody can sell, not everybody can deliver a service.

On an aside, and example of why I fixed it: had a nice experience recently. Mailed Comx to inquire if they have stock on an scarce item. Reply 4 minutes later. Here's to you Tony! I will check with you in future as Comx provisionally made it onto my short list. :)
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Odd. I just saw a complaint about Comx on another thread a few hours ago. Never read about q company....then read about them twice in the he same day
 
imranpanji said:
Odd. I just saw a complaint about Comx on another thread a few hours ago. Never read about q company....then read about them twice in the he same day
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Never dealt with them before. Why I said provisionally. ;)
 
1. Business in South Africa is damn good. Judging by levels of service perhaps too good.

2. South African consumers are simply getting what we deserve because we are the reason for point 1.
 
SA consumers are arrogant.
If you don't approve of the response on specialized items or services where additional work have to be performed (especially to get accurate pricing), then kindly f..k off and go somewhere else. Your business is not worth the energy and effort.
 
DWAAS said:
SA consumers are arrogant.
If you don't approve of the response on specialized items or services where additional work have to be performed (especially to get accurate pricing), then kindly f..k off and go somewhere else. Your business is not worth the energy and effort.
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and in one post you show exactly what is wrong with customer service in SA, I'd rather take my business elsewhere

and you say the consumer is arrogant, the irony :rolleyes:
 
My only main gripe about SA business is the people on the floor.

No one fecking smiles and greets. The customer must do it first.
 
DWAAS said:
SA consumers are arrogant.
If you don't approve of the response on specialized items or services where additional work have to be performed (especially to get accurate pricing), then kindly f..k off and go somewhere else. Your business is not worth the energy and effort.
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No, SA consumers want information before wasting their time by and large.

On the residential renovation front. I contacted a good few companies to try and get a rough idea (and I was VERY clear about that in my emails) of the cost per sqm of their different flooring options. Only 2 companies came back with a "We would need to do a quote to be completely accurate but on average about Rx per sqm"... everyone else was "We need to quote to give you a price per sqm"... I want to know if the average falls within a range I am comfortable paying, if so then I will possibly take it further.
 
saor said:
Also when they don't list their contact details on the website. Only a contact form.
Meh.
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I refuse to contact any company who doesn't put a phone number on their website
 
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