Anyone experienced WSO customer service hell?

I purchased a WSO for a mobile site CMS a while back. Recently needed to know two things - would take less than a minute to respond.

First tried a help ticket - no go.
Then an email to him - no answer.

Then I tried a PM through here - no answer.

If he runs any more WSO's I will be commenting on his terrible customer service.

Listen up sellers. Customer service will make or break you so make sure you do a good job with it.

I have experienced both - as a seller and as a buyer -

As a buyer, I will say that the overwhelming majority of customer service situations I have had have been positive. However, there have been those few that have been nightmares, leaving me simply just asking for a refund and once or twice having to file a paypal dispute.

As a seller, most of my experiences have been positive as well, but a few have been awful. I have messed up a few times with customer service, missing an email here or there. However, I have had some really nasty customers as well. One guy (who actually has his own WSO now and will remain nameless) sent me a message cursing me and my mother. He should be glad he is on another continent.

I always gave a "bonus" -> my personal email for support. You get a lot of feedback for your next WSO's.

I think clarity is an overall necessity on both sides (sellers and buyers). Thanks for all the info, def some great tips.

And CaseyCase, I hear ya, I am glad that most people don't live within the same city limits to avoid some accidental neck chockings =D

So far I have not. That's mainly because I tend to always buy from

Reputable people that I know and trust.

Also reputable people tent to know/ recommend more reputable people.

It's pretty much hit or miss with many WSOs - even those with lots of good reviews. I've taken a few reviews myself with sellers offering to give extra goodies if I posted a good review - one even offered a copy-and-paste review for me.

Some will have excuses eg. they were in hospital, had to attend a wedding etc. These are the ones to file a dispute to get a refund.

On the other hand, there are some who are terrible at communications - no replies or thread updates but surprisingly good serps results.

As a buyer, I would be interested in a quick initial response from customer support. Also, a detailed answer to my question..or a timely resolution of my issue (the appropriate timing would depend on the WSO). Either way, the key thing is a quick initial response.

As a potential buyer, I expect to see my inquiries attended to within a reasonable time - could be a day or two depending on the type of WSO and the person holding it and how old the offer is.

Same for as a buyer. I will give a reasonable amount of time for the person to respond if I have some issue - typically within 7 days - but again will vary depending on the activity on the WSO thread.

I'm pretty good about finding offers that give decent support.

As a seller, I like to get back to people ASAP. That is not to say it has not taken me a day or two for a reply myself depending on my schedule.

If I bump, I am more available than on offers that I may have let settle into the far reaches of outer space.

I had a buyer one time trash me in a thread, because I did not respond to his request for refund in under 5 minutes... And the request was made when I was sound asleep.

Yeah... Even I do that sometimes... :p

From a seller AND a customers point of view, here are a few observations:

1) Giving out your personal email address to customers seems to be some BIG deal nowadays... some even treat it like a bonus you should be thankful to receive. Seriously, the least you should do is give your customers some personal way of contacting you. I understand some prefer helpdesks and the like, and that's ok, but why not also give out your personal email address? What you got to hide? The truth is most people will never use it but it sends a much better impression to your customers. Even better, if someone emails you at that address, respond to them within a timely manner!

2) I try my best to answer most customer questions within 24 hours, 48 at the most. A lot of the times I'll be online and respond to the customer literally minutes after they send through the question. I can't tell you how many people have commented on how great it is to receive such a fast answer - and we are only talking about a response within a 24 hour period. Damn, it makes me wonder what other sellers out there are doing? Your customers are your business. Stop counting your money and give them the priority they deserve. If you don't have customers, guess what folks, you have NO business.

3) I have seen many WSO's where people purchase, there are a few bugs with the WSO, and immediately people get all fired up and start accusing the WSO owner of putting out a product that doesn't work. What ever happened to patience? The truth is you can test and test things as much as you want but NOTHING can prepare yourself for releasing a product to people with a whole host of different setups, servers, operating systems, etc.

At least give the product owner a chance to correct any bugs that are found before you go immediately chasing refunds or bad mouthing the product. On a lot of the WSO's around here you are getting a steal of a deal and a lot of the times that's because the product is being released here as a 'trial' before it hits the main market. The least we can do is be a little patient with sellers and at least give them an honest chance to right any wrongs. The last thing a vendor wants to do is ruin their reputation with a crappy product so in most cases they will do their best to fix things asap. But from what I've seen a lot of people don't even give them that chance.

I don't think you need to put a whole lot of time into customer service to have great customer service. Maybe 20 minutes a day morning and night?

Being a solopreneur of 1, I try to answer all support emails when they come in.

Life sometimes happens, mind you, and it takes me more than a couple of hours to get back, but....yeah.

Sterling customer service is one of me trademarks. It's very important I think.

Going to have to invest in a helpdesk soon....

I would mention your response time to manage their expectations, although some people will never be satisfied, like the guy who wanted a 5-minute response while you were sleeping.

As a buyer, I think 24 hours for a response is good and 48 is acceptable. I think this is reasonable after having sold things online myself. Not everyone has the volume yet for a support team to get back to you ASAP, and some of us marketers DO sleep, have a life, go on vacation, etc.

Everybody wants it NOW, but really I don't believe there are any requests that really can't wait a day or two. The urgency and fear of loss are all in the buyer's mind and you can only accommodate that so far.

I always like a surprise. What am i talking about? well everything you give me beforehand is very nice ( i.e special discount, bonus features etc etc) However after the purchase If you inquire about me SPECIFICALLY, and how I like the product etc etc I am impressed.

I recently purchased a WSO from a well known member here on the WF that has run many WSOs in the past. Figure it'd be a safe bet.

Had some concerns when the product wasn't being delivered as he stated it would be.

Sent a PM. No answer. Sent an email. No answer.

Others are having the same problem, but the last thing I want to do is pile on. While I'm not happy with the service, there are some things that have to be taken into consideration:

1. The time of year lends itself to time away from online activities. Sure, the seller should be on top of his / her business, but some don't see it as the most important thing in their lives.

2. The person could be ill, or have been in an accident.

3. Has the person been commenting on the WF in various threads? If not, and it's a member with thousands of posts, it's pretty likely #1 or #2 is at play.

Hey, I deliver top notch service in my business and expect the same - even when I only pay $50 - $60 for an item. But I think it only makes good sense to give the seller the benefit of the doubt until it's clear they have made it clear they aren't going to help you.

I've dealt some really top notch people here - WillR being one of them. Without a doubt, when he's got another WSO running, I'll be buying - if for nothing else because of the way he's responded to questions and because of how quickly he's responded.

I have noticed, the cheaper the product, the louder and more abusive the complaint chorus gets. All the way down to free being one of the loudest.

Remember the free-line trend a couple of years back, a number of us discovered that supporting the free-line folks was more work then our 10k package clients and yielded few appreciable sales.

It also makes you realize why some of the top dogs charge a arm and a leg. It's not just because of the product value, it's a hurdle that the low-ballers won't jump.

No worries. That happens. Especially when you get a ton of people commenting on a subject.


Paul