The show was to start at 8 PM. At 8 PM ABC showed 10 minutes of previews of upcoming television programs. Of those 10 minutes 5 or more were dedicated to the upcoming Sean Combs (AKA P. Diddy) show. I have no interest in seeing anything he is involved in. Call me old fashioned, but I try not to contribute to the ability of drug users to afford to refill their supplies.
During the broadcast, ABC would show 8 minutes of the movie and 7 minutes of commercials in an alternating fashion. Since this went on for 3 hours I think we were sufficiently convinced that we will not watch LOST, or anything else on ABC for awhile. We were so thoroughly bothered by the barrage of advertising, that we went beyond trying to ignore them to actively mocking them as we waited for the show to return.
The point of this story is not to enter into a discussion about the cost of free television. I understand the trade-off. What I want to point out is that similar things happen in other businesses and we may not know we are doing it.
10 Examples of punishing customers:
1. Hold Messages that "pump the company" while customers wait for assistance
2. Webpages with 30% content and 70% advertising
3. Products that are contaminated with lead, poisons, or other harmful materials
4. Faulty instructions for the operation of a purchased product
5. Software that modifies the purchaser's computer in an undisclosed way
6. Advertising that is inappropriate for "general audiences"
7. Long Checkout lines - worse when they are lined with last-minute purchase temptations
8. Rebates
9. Gift Cards that decrease in value if not used
10. Long wait times for assistance online, on the phone or in person
I could go on but I would like to solicit your thoughts. In what ways do you feel punished by companies you would like to purchase from, or have purchased from?
What can you or should you do about it?
It is a shame and it gets irritating most of the time. But that's how TV stations live: they have to sell air time to advertisers. More and more viewers are getting pissed off, inevitably, but we can't really do anything about it. =)
Posted by: Jay, writer MemberSpeed.com | February 5, 2008 7:23 AM | Permalink to Comment