Category Archives: Business

general business-related topics

Paypal Protection – Maybe?

Posted on by
Reply

I do a fair bit of shopping on eBay, and I count on that little message in the auctions:

“Pay with PayPal and your full purchase price is covered”

In fact, it was specifically for that reason that I bid on a electronic tool today – even if the seller feedback was zero.

Because, as they say, if there’s any problems, they will make good on it. After all, that’s the reason for the policy – to encourage buying.

Odd thing, though – I couldn’t pay. As far as later purchase, no problem. But every time I tried to pay for that item, I got an error message. So, I checked out their help section, and followed their instruction for this problem (wait 15 minutes and try again). Still, no go.

But here’s the kicker – their next suggestion was to pay the seller directly on PayPal. However, if I followed their advice, I’d void the Paypal Protection, which specifically says I only qualify if I

“Send the payment to the seller through: The eBay “Pay Now” button, or The eBay invoice”

No exceptions – and certainly not direct payment by email.

Put simply, if you follow Paypal’s advice, you end up letting Paypal off the hook if that zero feedback store goes belly up, or sells you junk.

The cynic in me feels this is not an accident, but I’ve emailed Paypal in case the cynic is wrong. However, business is full of examples where a company is happy to have customers disqualify themselves from benefits, even leading them down the primrose path to do it. But it’s still not nice, and if Paypal IS doing this, I hope they change their policy ASAP.

Because I’m NOT bypassing the protection plan in this case. It’s their encouragement for me to buy, and so I did. Now they have to do their part, by protecting me. If they don’t like that, then don’t offer protection – but expect me to buy less in the future.

Here’s REALLY Why You Need Good Customer Service

Posted on by
Reply

One of our local video stores closed its doors this week.

I’d been a frequenter of it for quite some time – but not recently.

Why?

The owner was nice enough, the prices were good, the staff was friendly and knowledgeable…

…except for one.

This one clerk acted like you were imposing every time you wanted to pay for a video (and we were – after all, she’d much rather continue talking to her friends). She was lazy, had a bad attitude, and was even vulgar (I was once treated to her swearing at a customer).

You likely have similar experiences in your own neighborhood: ‘somewhere’ is a nice place, but there’s one bad apple that spoils the whole experience.

Here’s the catch though:

There was only one of her, yet well over a 1/2-dozen other clerks!

That means (at least for me) one nasty clerk overcame all the benefits: at least six other very nice (don’t forget knowledgeable) clerks, a convenient location, and really good prices.

One person did all that.

One.

This shop can talk about losing out to competitors, and video over the Internet/cable tv/mail taking their business. And it may be partially true. But the fact is, I (and others) would have continued supporting this local place if only the experience wasn’t do darned unpleasant – because of one person.

So if you’re a business owner, ask yourself: do I have a bad apple? Am I ignoring customer complaints? If so, expect to lose business – because if customers get upset enough, they WILL go away.

And once they are gone, how exactly will you get them back?

Have You Considered Crowdsourcing To Fund Your Next Project?

Posted on by
Reply

What is crowdsourcing? It’s getting people together to promote a project, usually involving money. And it is hugely successful.

Take for instance Kickstarter.com, one of the biggest (other biggies include RocketHub, and IndieGoGo.com). You create a project proposal, and the crowd votes on it by donating to your cause. If you make your projected goal, you get the money to start your venture.

In one case, a group that wanted to manufacture an specialty titanium lock for their bicycle got their money – and then some – to produce it. They had an idea, showed everyone the idea, and took in over $100,000 (instead of a hoped-for $37,500) in return for product orders in advance. This gave them the money to start.

Many of the sites are for artists rather than designers: many have projects for books, plays, and recordings. For example, a project might ask for money for producing a record or EP, or to write a book.

Generally, a project has several components:

  • A clear goal. For example Kickstarter requires a specific project with a specific timeline. You can’t use them to fund a new business, but you can to fund a new part of a business.
  • Something to give back. Many projects have things that your donation ‘buys’ you, much like the gifts on Public Service Television pledge drives. An author may send out a thank you for a $5 donation, and an autographed copy of the finished book at $50. Setting up a variety of items and price levels serves to encourage donations.
  • A total money requirement and deadline. The project is listed when it starts, and the end time is displayed as well as the progress in funds. Choosing carefully is important: Kickstarter will not give you the funds if you don’t make your final goal by your deadline (others like IndieGoGo will, but with penalties, such as a higher processing fee).

These sites are well worth a look if you have a project that needs funding. Consider them the next time you say “I’d do this if only I had the money” – because if enough people agree, you WILL have the money!

A Bright Idea: Xenon Project For RC Cars, Boats,… Well, Anything!

Posted on by
Reply

What is guaranteed to cut your age in half?

Skin cream? Exercise? Dating a 20 year old?

All of these things might help, but a much cheaper, and more fun solution, is at Xenon Project.

I recently was asked to drop by and look around this RC (radio controlled) vehicle website. Well, within five minutes, I was dreaming of taking a radio controlled helicopter for a spin. Imagining what one of those nitro-powered cars would be like revving around a track. And checking out the tanks – yes, they have tanks that not only shoot, but that puff out smoke when they do!

I dare you to take a look at their site and see if you can look at one page, and one page only. I couldn’t – it’s just that addictive.

Of course all the cool toys are great, but what also sets them apart is the pricing. One chopper they had, a mini gyro, was less than half the price than I found at a store in town ($25 for them versus $60 locally). And that’s not including tax, which only California or Delaware residents pay, apparently (yes, I really browsed their website!)

Another feature I liked were the videos. When I’m looking to shop, I want to know more about the product, and XenonProject took care of that too. Each product I checked out had a YouTube video on the page, showing me what it looked like in action. It helped: for instance, the mini gyro looked pretty stable when in the air, and perfect for a newbie to Radio Controlled flying like myself.

Many years ago, we bought a RC Boat for my in-law’s anniversary (we like eclectic anniversary gifts). Not only did they play with it on the water themselves, but they ended up buying an electric car for another family for their anniversary…

…which was a big hit – because after all, who doesn’t feel like a kid when they’re playing with an RC toy?

Check out Xenon Project, and save – and enjoy!