I recall having a conversation a few years ago with some executives of a very prestigious, very expensive appliance manufacturer. At one point, they were explaining that customers occasionally got upset because they weren’t able to get a more precise delivery time than ‘sometime on Tuesday.’ Customers, they explained to me, have expectations that are way too high.
‘Seriously?’ I thought to myself. You have a brand that costs thousands more than the normal household brands that sell in the chain stores. And they are wondering why customers expect to be treated a little better than they do in a big box store? Jeepers, If I was charging that much money, I would pay a truck driver an extra $200 to sit around in front of the customers’ houses all day long until it was convenient to come in. Being a premium brand is more than just charging a premium price. You need to deliver premium service as well.
There’s a great story in the New York Daily news that illustrates this. A customer bought a $420,000 Maseratti. But when he brought it in to have a part replaced, they decided to use a used part instead of a new one.
Again, I ask, “Seriously?” You milk a guy for $420k, but can’t bring yourself to use a new part on his car? The owner clearly felt the same way, and hired 3 people to publicly smash his car with sledgehammers. The video, needless to say, has gone quite viral. What on earth was Maseratti thinking?
