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Getting Started / Complaint Repair
Posted on October 20, 2000
We've all had complaints with customer service and the
way we've been treated by companies. Whether it's an online
bookstore, a telephone company, or washing machine manufacturer,
firms are scrambling to respond to an increasing din of
customer service complaints.
Matthew Smith decided to do something about it and founded
Complaint Repair in his home in Naperville. Matthew recently
sat down to talk with ePrairie about the company and the
general lack of customer service today.
Read more...
EP: Let's start at the beginning, Matt. What is Complaint Repair
and when did it start?
MS: I launched the site in May of this year and it's the
best way that I know how to combine a company that is
promoting consumer interests with the business model that
I think is great for the future. Primarily, Complaint Repair
is a database for consumers to look up complaints about
products and services and do research. Conversely, consumers
post complaints to the site and if they supply the email
address, the email containing the complaint gets forwarded
to the subject business.
EP: What kind of relationship do you have with the businesses
that get complained about? Do they contract with you to
forward complaints?
MS: We maintain an arm's length distance from the subject
businesses. It's crucial to maintain third party, independent
integrity. Developing close relationships with forwarding
complaints isn't the business model. We're about allowing
consumers to share specific complaints about actual experiences
they've had. What we do is simply hold businesses accountable
for claims that they've made and as such it's an important
resource for consumers to search about companies and about
products that they are considering purchasing or have
purchased.
EP: Do you compete in the same space as e-pinions or productreview.com?
MS: I'm glad you asked that. The product review space
is obviously larger and has gotten a lot more press. Obviously
those are valuable sites. Consumer research on the Internet
is quite helpful for consumers in making educated purchases
and decisions. On e-pinions and other sites, consumers
write reviews, which are posted to the site. Consumers
can use those reviews to compare the attributes of specific
products vs. the attributes of other products. So it's
a product recommendation site. That's not the space that
we're in. The purpose of our content isn't to recommend
one particular manufacturer over the other. It's simply
to hold a manufacturer accountable for the product claims
that they've made.
EP: How many people are on your staff?
MS: The company is just me, along with several part-time
people. I'm growing profitably, first and foremost, with
controlled growth. The site is collecting excellent content.
Consumers really put their hearts into writing the complaints
that they post on our site, writing important details
that are really interesting to read about.
EP: Do you plan to raise venture capital or seek angel
investment?
MS: Actually, no, I won't be. The company is funded privately
- I've put in multi-six figures and I'm very comfortable
with the way it's growing. We'll be hiring several full-time
people in the near future, but right now, it's just me
working obviously very long hours. It's a lot of fun.
I know this business will be successful. To me, managing
it at this point is extremely crucial in staying true
to my values and staying true to the way I want to do
it. I've had numerous offers for investment, but I'm lucky
enough to have access to capital for myself and for my
family.
EP: Let's switch gears and speak on a broader scale. As
e-commerce matures, customer service is typically panned.
Everyone remembers last year's Christmas season was just
a debacle in terms of customer service. What's your take?
Is it going to get better?
MS: I think in the next five years, it'll only continue
to get worse in terms of the way online businesses are
handling customer service.
EP: Why?
MS: There's a learning curve. Even for Amazon and for
everybody else, they still have issues that they have
to get worked out - inventories, logistics, etc.
EP: Where does a site like Complaint Repair fit in?
MS: A third-party complaint site or customer service site
provides value in the long-term by helping to keep these
companies accountable to their customers. They have to
develop the intimate relationship between the consumer
and the business. I don't think a site such as Complaint Repair
looks to get between the consumer and the business.
EP: In your view, is there a company or a space that receives
the most complaints?
MS: Airlines are number one with credit card companies
being a close second. Also, travel, vacations, hotels.
The service industry that deals with aggravated people.
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