Customer Speak – A Marketing Blog from Bridgz Marketing Group

Sour Candy by Bridgz

Note: Today’s entry is a guest post from Bridgz Marketing Group employee Nick Nelson, detailing a recent customer experience.

From the first moment I tried on a pair of Skullcandy headphones, I loved them.

I’d grown accustomed to using Apple’s plastic earbuds that came with my iPod, but they had a tendency to fall out and after long periods of time they’d make my ears hurt. Skullcandy offered a refreshing alternative. Their earbuds were soft and comfortable, stayed in place when I went for runs and featured strong sound quality. Heck, even the cord never seemed to get tangled up.

I became a loyal customer for Skullcandy. Any time I needed a new pair of headphones, it was the brand I chose, without hesitation. When my cat chewed through a pair, I went to Target and picked up a new set. I bought pairs for both my parents for Christmas. I spoke glowingly of the brand to friends and colleagues

Then, several months ago, I had a pair of my Skullcandy earbuds fail on me. While I was running, the sound stopped working on one side. I was perplexed by the issue, but figured it was likely a one-time incident and possibly the result of some sort of misuse on my part. So, I headed up to Target and bought another pair.

A few months later, the exact same problem occurred with my new pair. Again, my loyalty to the brand prompted me to head up to the store and purchase another set without thinking too much of it. A couple months later, it happened AGAIN with the new pair. I wanted answers.

I went to the company’s website and had no trouble finding a contact form. I filled it out, informing them that I’d been a loyal purchaser of their products and that I’d been disappointed by my recent experiences with the brand.

I submitted my complaint and a message popped up informing me that I’d be hearing back from a Skullcandy representative shortly. But I didn’t hear anything the next day. Or the next day. Or the next day.

In fact, despite having sent the message several days ago and having tried to contact the company through their Twitter account, I haven’t heard a peep from them. I had hoped they’d, at best, offer to send me a new pair of earbuds with the assurance that these ones would hold up. At worst, I figured they’d at least send me a message apologizing for the issues and perhaps explaining why this problem might be occurring.

But instead, Skullcandy has left a once-loyal customer out to dry. So now, I’ve turned from an evangelist for their brand into a person who will take every public opportunity to discourage folks from buying their products.

In the past, this kind of indifference toward a dissatisfied consumer might have been part of a workable business plan, but not in the Customer Age. There are few things more valuable to a brand than a happy, excited and loyal customer who can act as a walking, talking advertisement. Now, because they were unable to engage with me when I reached out to them, Skullcandy has pushed me to the opposite end of the spectrum.

Loyal customers are gained over long periods of time, but can be lost in a hurry. Apparently some companies still need to get that through their skulls.

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