customer service sound-off

Quick tips from me about what to do (and what not to do) when a product you like has been discontinued.

YES FINE THESE THINGS ARE GOOD
1. contact the manufacturer to confirm that the product is actually discontinued

2. ask if there is a way you can request it be brought back

3. ask if there is a suggested replacement product

NO PLEASE NOT THESE THEY ARE NOT HELPFUL
1. ask if there is any more of the product available (there is not)

2. offer business advice to the service rep that you think would have made the product more popular

3. act as if threatening to take your business elsewhere is some kind of cheat code to open up a previously unmentioned stash of leftover product

CONSIDER THIS
1. the product is gone

2. there is no one person who capriciously decided to discontinue your specific favorite product; those decisions are made by committees months (or even years) before the last product is shipped

3. the product is still gone

4. sometimes bad things happen to good products

5. the product is, astonishingly, still gone

Mirrored from The Marci Rating System.