For one thing, they aren’t always what you would expect the “most-wanted” products to be. Last year, FJ rolled out, with much fanfare, a Hello Kitty collection. I didn’t order it because I assumed something that was so heavily promoted would be included in my Inner Circle membership, but Hello Kitty never materialized.
Looking at the prices, the Hello Kitty products are more expensive than other FJ gift sets ($42.95 for a hidden jewelry candles and bath bomb or set of three bath bombs), so I’m sure that’s why they didn’t send it out to Inner Circle members…
At the same time, as someone who is spending money with the company reliably, month after month, I feel like this is one of those times when, as a business owner, you should consider whether it isn’t good customer relations to make sure your most loyal customers get your most exciting products. (The Hello Kitty products and a Barbie collection also aren’t discounted to Inner Circle members, which seems like another missed opportunity.)
Not only can you not change your shipping address manually, you can’t even view it to make sure your information is correct — an issue that cost me nearly $100 in lost shipments. When I moved near the end of last year, I assumed I’d changed my address because my December shipment showed up at my new house. It wasn’t until months later, when I realized I hadn’t seen a shipment since, that I realized I had no way to find out where my packages were being sent.
It took a phone call to FedEx to figure out that my Inner Circle shipments were going to my old address (where a phone call to the property manager left me reasonably certain the new residents were keeping my packages for themselves, so if I ever happen to meet the current inhabitants of apartment 407, we are going to have some THINGS TO TALK ABOUT), and then an email exchange to FJ to get my address updated.
I was livid about the situation, and to their credit, FJ did reship two of the shipments that had been sent to the old address. But it could have been avoided completely if I’d been able to manage my account from the website for hidden jewelry candles.
To be completely honest, even though I’ve belonged for a year, I still find the Inner Circle benefits a little bit confusing. I know I’ve seen them listed on a postcard included with a shipment, but if there’s a place on the website where the benefits are clearly enumerated (like they are for the Rewards Program, which I think is open to everyone whether or not you’re in the Inner Circle?), I can’t find it.
No comments:
Post a Comment