Beware of Subcontractors Who Destroy Your Brand Reputation
First, let me preface this post by saying I have never been a Comcast customer, but I have heard from more than one person horror stories of installation problems with Comcast technicians. I had no idea that Comcast subcontracts out their in-home service work, but their reportedly poor level of customer service and utter disregard shown toward customers’ homes suddenly makes more sense.
Consumerist.com published a detailed post about the incompetence of the subcontractor who visited his home to do some work on behalf of Comcast. Check out the post here. It’s really quite amazing that anyone can perform work they’re being paid to do so inadequately. Perhaps the relationship between Comcast and its subcontractors is strained, but when you read the post at Consumerist you’ll see pictures showing marks on the author’s walls, phone jacks left dismantled, overall shoddy work and a hole in the author’s television!
I remember a coworker telling me a story about a Comcast technician who visited her home and caused several problems not the least of which was when his drill destroyed her brand new vertical blinds. Now, Comcast did repair the damage at their expense, but what are these experiences doing to the Comcast brand overall and how much money are they losing in repairs?
I’ve had my own problems with subcontractors from Sears and other companies. In fact, I purposefully no longer purchase items that require in-home service calls (e.g., carpet, etc.) from mass retailers like Sears, Home Depot, etc. because I don’t want the work performed by subcontractors. I understand the use of subcontractors may help reduce costs to the consumer, but what is the emotional cost? For me, that’s a cost I’m not willing to pay again. The headaches caused by the subcontractors wasn’t worth the small amount of money I saved.
Of course, not all subcontractors are incompetent, but the bad apples certainly spoil the bunch, at least where Comcast is concerned. What do you think? How can companies ensure their brand name and reputation aren’t tarnished by less than stellar subcontractors?
Tags: Comcast, Comcast-repairs, Comcast-technician, Consumerist, Home-Depot, Lowes, neglience, Sears, subcontractorRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Brand Image
5 opinions for Beware of Subcontractors Who Destroy Your Brand Reputation
Gabriel
Sep 12, 2007 at 2:25 pm
By paying them more, giving them in-depth training and bonuses for client satisfaction (based on follow-up surveys) and boot the incompetent subs asap! In the meantime, it looks like they could do with some search engine reputation management!
Susan Gunelius
Sep 13, 2007 at 7:30 am
So true, Gab! And I agree, a little SERM can never hurt!
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Sep 14, 2007 at 2:50 pm
[…] business operations. Brand Curve cautions entrepreneurs to watch out for subcontractors who can destroy your brand reputation. To avoid this situation, you should first look in your own personal network. Don’t hire people […]
Latarsha
Sep 14, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Too many businesses aren’t aware of the damages being done by subcontractors gone wild.
It really is a matter of follow-up, follow-up, follow-up — making sure the customer has a voice and knows how to use it.
Patrick
Oct 22, 2007 at 8:40 pm
I am a subcontractor for Comcast in the Chattanooga area. Every last one of my customers (with the exception of the extremely rude, snobbish ones) always express to me how satisfied they are with my work when I finish their job. I also hear them on the post-telephone call on my way out the door, telling the Comcast dispatch of how courteous I was and of their overall pleasure of the job.
I should also mention I’m 18 years old.
True, there are some subcontractors who really don’t pay as much attention to quality — but the same goes for in-house techs (those that are employees of Comcast). As a matter of fact, in our market, more often than not it’s an in-house tech that has screws something up or refuses to do something, usually causing Comcast to assign the task to us.
Just because one is a subcontractor doesn’t mean they don’t care. More often than not, we do care because we’re paid based on what we actually do. The harder the work, the higher the pay. For in-house techs, this isn’t true sometimes, and I can’t say I blame them, being paid a flat rate for ridiculous amounts of work.
But that’s just my 2 cents.
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