Santa Won’t Bring It: A Customer Service Sleigh Ride Gone Wrong
A Holly Jolly Start to My Holiday Shopping
The email notification popped up: “Thank you for placing your order. Delivery expected—Thursday.” I’d done it! I had successfully completed all the shopping for our youngest child’s Christmas presents. Whew! I was ahead of the game. With three weeks until Christmas, the “big gift” would arrive in 72 hours—perfect timing since I’d already planned to be home that day. I went to bed feeling relieved and accomplished.
The Case of the Vanishing Christmas Gift
The next morning, another notification: my delivery would arrive early. How early? It didn’t say, but early was fine—at least I thought so. Hopefully, the driver would follow the instructions on the order: leave it at the door, no signature required. A few hours later, I received another update: “Delivery attempted but could not be made. It will be rescheduled.”
What? I’d been home the entire time—no knock, no doorbell, no delivery. Confused but optimistic, I decided to wait for the original delivery day.
Delivery day came and went. No package.
The 12 Days of Frustration: Customer Service Gone Wrong
Checking my account, I found no customer service number—just an AI chatbot offering two maddening options: drive to the store to pick it up or cancel the order. Canceling wasn’t an option—this was my child’s most-wanted gift. Driving? Less than ideal. I decided to wait, hoping the delay would resolve itself.
Four more days passed. No delivery. No updates. Frustrated, I returned to the chatbot, only to discover the pick-up option had disappeared. Now the only option was to cancel the order. Desperate, I spent 30 minutes navigating the company’s website until I unearthed a hidden “live chat” feature. Finally, I was connected to an agent.
The first thing they did? Put me on hold to review my bot chat history. When they returned, they asked me to explain the situation from scratch. After painstakingly recounting everything, the agent’s answer was stunning: “The driver decided not to deliver it. You should cancel the order and reorder.”
I pushed back, explaining why that wasn’t feasible. The agent’s response? Call the store to figure it out. “Tell them you spoke with me and I couldn’t help, so maybe they can.”
Read that again. The solution was to call the same company and explain that their own representative couldn’t solve the problem.
Out of options, I called the store. A broken phone tree routed me to the wrong department. The person I reached gave me the direct number to the right department, but couldn’t transfer me. I called the direct line—no answer. The voicemail was full. At this point, I realized my only hope was to drive to the store myself.
Tangled Tinsel: Customer Service Snags That Derailed the Holiday
At the store, the customer service clerk didn’t know how to resolve the issue. The manager didn’t either and had to call the district manager. After another long wait, the district manager confirmed the driver and the product had both “disappeared.” Their advice? Cancel the order, go to the appropriate department in-store, and try to find and buy the item again.
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably only half as exasperated as I was. This wasn’t just about one missed delivery. This was a breakdown at every level:
Poor communication systems – Where was the notification that the driver abandoned the order?
Lack of training – No one seemed to know how to handle the issue, from online support to in-store staff.
Inefficient processes – Why was customer service so inaccessible? Why didn’t anyone own the problem?
The result? A $200 order lost—not to mention my trust as a customer.
Unwrapping the Problems: Customer Service Breakdowns You Can’t Ignore
Here’s the truth: Every company faces challenges at some point. It’s normal. What isn’t normal—or acceptable—is ignoring them.
According to Zendesk, 73% of consumers will switch to a competitor after multiple bad experiences.¹ NewVoiceMedia reveals that U.S. companies lose approximately $75 billion each year due to poor customer service.² On the flip side, Bain & Company reports that increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can increase profits by between 25% and 95%.³ And Salesforce Research found that 89% of consumers are more likely to make another purchase after a positive customer service experience.⁴
These statistics underscore the critical importance of effective customer service in maintaining customer loyalty and driving profitability. By addressing system inefficiencies and enhancing training, companies can improve customer satisfaction and reduce the risk of revenue loss due to poor service experiences.
Jingle All the Way to Customer Loyalty: Let Us Help You Strengthen Your Service Systems
At On The Way Enterprises, we specialize in helping businesses prevent stories like this. We help you identify gaps in your training, knowledge management, and business systems—and then solve them. Because every time your team stumbles, it’s not just customer cheer on the line—it’s profit.
The bottom line is simple: to overcome these challenges and reach your business's full potential, action is key.
“The best way to spread business cheer is to fix the systems that keep your customers coming back.”
Let’s work together to address those systems, making sure your customers have an exceptional experience and your business can thrive.
The time to make a change is now. Tackle the gaps and ensure your business runs smoothly and effectively. 2025 can be your organization’s best year yet—one filled with clarity, consistency, and care.
References
Zendesk. (2024). The Customer Experience Trends Report. Retrieved from Zendesk
NewVoiceMedia. (2024). Serial Switching: Why Customers Switch Providers. Retrieved from NewVoiceMedia
Bain & Company. (2024). The Economics of E-Loyalty. Retrieved from Bain & Company
Salesforce Research. (2024). State of the Connected Customer. Retrieved from Salesforce
