Diamond Certified Blog

One of the columnists I enjoy reading in the New York Times is Christopher Hitz, who’s also known as “The Haggler.” In a recent column, he asked readers to send their best strategies for resolving consumer disputes. I must be “old school,” because I believe that simply working your way through the chain of command is what usually works best. Others have more novel approaches.

Someone wrote in suggesting that you use your camera to document your complaint. For example, if your hotel room has dingy towels, take some pictures of the dingy towels and show them to the clerk when you ask for an adjustment to your bill. Really good idea. Show versus tell. Read more

If you’re a fan of Car Talk (aka Click and Clack, the Tappet brothers) on National Public Radio like I am, you know how often callers reproduce car noises on the air. You hear everything from “nya, nya, nya,” to “wuuu, wuuu, wuuu.” It’s fascinating to hear the Tappet brothers try to figure out what’s wrong with each car. LOL every Saturday morning.

To help you figure out what’s wrong with your car on your own, these guys have created a Car Talk Noise Emporium at www.cartalk.com/content/features/Noises/.

You’ll find about four dozen car noises there, and when you click on the part of the car the sound is coming from, Read more

Here’s how a “consumer-savvy” company keeps customers loyal.

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Dear Chris,

Due to a technical problem, your DVD shipment was delayed and will ship on Wednesday, May 26th.

We pride ourselves in delighting you, and we’ve let you down. We apologize, and we will issue a 10% credit to your account in the next few days. You don’t need to do anything. Your credit will automatically be applied to your next billing statement.

Again, we apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. If you need further assistance, please call us at
1-866-923-0898.

–The Netflix Team Read more

One of the Diamond Certified company owners, John Gorman from the Save Energy Company in Petaluma, is today’s guest blogger. I like what he has to say about asking for a “ballpark figure” on windows.
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I recently got off the phone with a potential client who at one point during our conversation had asked me, “So how much are replacement windows going to cost? Just a ballpark figure.” I know that he was anxious about the cost and standing in his shoes I can completely understand, but I had to tell him, “Honestly, it’s so hard to say.”

Because window replacement jobs or any other construction related project is so site-specific, Read more

If you subscribe to my e-mail newsletter, The Diamond Certified Consumer Report, you may have heard my interview with Kia Ricchi, the contractor who wrote Avoiding the Con in Construction. She describes many of the shady practices that plague the construction industry. Ms. Ricchi emphasizes that “The con artist will always be with us. Consumers need more tools to find better contractors.”

I agree. Diamond Certified ratings are definitely one of those tools. Contractors listed for your county have had to go through a rigorous review process, which includes credential verification and consumer surveys, to earn Diamond Certified.

Ms. Ricchi has a useful checklist in her book to help you find better contractors. Read more

Seth Godin’s blog is one of my favorites. He asks some fascinating questions. Here’s something for all consumers to think about when considering a purchase or conducting any kind of business transaction. Are you easily manipulated?

Sometimes (and too often) marketers work to manipulate people. I define manipulation as working to spread an idea or generate an action that is not in a person’s long-term best interest.

The easiest people to manipulate are those that don’t demand a lot of information, are open to messages from authority figures and are willing to make decisions on a hunch, particularly if there’s a promise of short-term gains.
If you want to focus on the short run and sell something, Read more

The first time I heard this expression, I had no idea what the person was talking about. Years later, after toiling in many different jobs in consumer affairs for a long time, I finally got it. It’s how you perform repeatedly over time that builds your professional reputation. This is something to be tuned into whether you’re hiring at your office or deciding which businesses to patronize.

I thought of the saying the other day when deciding where to buy a sandwich for lunch. Who makes the best chicken salad sandwiches, week after week, month after month, year after year? The Ambrosia Bakery on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco. Consistency and quality are what keep lots of us going back. Read more

You can tell when you’re dealing with empowered employees, can’t you? They’re agile. They step up and solve your problem. They aim to please, and make it look like no trouble at all.

Here’s what I’m talking about. I was going to a show at the brand new Musical Instrument Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona. A reggae band was performing in a rather small concert hall. It dawned on me, right before the lights when down, that my 89-year old mother might have trouble with the loud music. We didn’t have earplugs with us, so I decided to run out and ask guest services where I could buy some.

The employee hesitated for a moment, Read more

I had to share this blog entry that I came across with you.
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The 44-cent solution

Tom Peters calls it “the pursuit of wow.” Seth Godin calls it being “remarkable.” None of us do it enough — which is why it’s so spectacular when we see it in action.

Case in point: Sunday night at the J.W. Marriott in Phoenix. I’ve got a letter to mail, but no stamps. So I go to the front desk and the following conversation ensues:

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ME: Is there a place in the hotel where I can buy a stamp? Read more

We’ve all had bad customer service experiences, but how often do you take that next step and voice your concerns to someone with authority?

I’m so ready to do that. I’m speaking up about the appalling, inferior, sub-standard service I had this week at a blood lab. Have you ever waited 1.5 hours for a simple blood test? I noticed six or seven people ahead of me when I arrived, and estimated that it might be a 30-minute wait. But then, one of the two lab techs went to lunch! That left ONE—count ‘em—ONE woman to process paperwork AND draw blood.

By the time my turn came (at some point there’s no pulling out, Read more