Do you think we expect too much from small businesses?

[Kirei]

In light of some of the threads lately roasting a few small businesses, I have been wondering if maybe just maybe I (we?) expect too much from small (new) businesses?

I posted something elsewhere about us business owners, making sure we have it together and someone else posted about customers not realizing we are learning as we go and patience is needed.

While agree, b/c it is a constant learning experience when owning a business, I also think some businesses jump in and bite off more than they can chew.

Even I have ordered from Target and gotten an email saying the item was out of stock, so we know big chain stores have their issues.

So, the question is, do you think we expect too much from small businesses? Do you think black owned businesses get judged more harshly than their counterparts?

My answer: I think we expect too little but, I don't think the answer is to not buy from small businesses. I think we should continue to support one another. But, I too am tired of sloppy service.

 

[Qualitee]

No, but I do expect to get my products that I paid for. I don't expect perfection from anyone but I have a very limited tolerance for either a big or small companies when it comes to my money. I also hate lairs and people who give me the run around. So once you do that, you lose my business forever.

 

[PPGbubbles]

I think some small business owners forget that they are running an actual business.

They treat it more like a hobby that they get paid for.

 

[BostonMaria]

I definitely don't expect a small business to run like a giant chain such as Target or Walmart. It would be nice, however, to have emails responded to and products received in a decent amount of time.

The problems lately are related to theft and that's a whole other issue... but I've pretty much lose my patience with businesses that send your order 5 weeks after you purchase it. Especially now that I know they're not the ones making the stuff in their kitchen, adding love, and all kinds of ridiculous expensive ingredients LOL

Is it really too much to ask if I send an email and expect a response within 48 hours?

 

[faithVA]

I think if you have never run a business or worked for a small business you may not have a feel for how much of a struggle day to day operations are. It isn't that easy to just go out and get help. Or even if things are a great idea, you only have so much cash flow that you can devote to improvements. And there is that point between start up and making a profit that is really a killer for small businesses. They are getting just enough profit to keep going but not enough profit to make it to the next level.

And unfortunately because they are learning so much on the fly and afraid to say no to anything they try to please everyone when they really don't have the resources and it makes them look bad.

But I am in no way excusing people who don't provide the product or service. Or the disrespectful communications or any other bizarre behaviors people seem to think are ok in business.

 

[Curlykutie]

Nope. If you expect to pay for a product ordered, I expect to get my product without BS. Lies, theft and trickery makes me want to stay away from new small businesses. Oyin used to have a 2 wk or more waiting period, However they let you know that upfront so when you ordered something you were making the choice to wait. Not all this lying and cheating.

 

[SmileyNY]

No... but at the very least you should expect to get what you paid for or a refund. Most small businesses are great. I actually have had better experiences with them than big corporations.

 

[danniegirl]

i had to fight the gap for a pair a pants i had to fight walmart for a gift card and i had to deal with paying for many items from target just to get a we no longer have this in stock email days after my money was sitting in there checking account collecting interest instead of being in mine collecting interest for me (this happened to me so many times between 2007-2009 that i received an gift card in 2009 for $100 from them after making so many complaints.

With that said i expect a lot from anyone that handles my money but i dont always get it so i realize that weather a company is big or small stuff happens and the only thing your can really do is make sure you protect yourself and your money from your end of the deal.

So as an online consumer i have learned a few things along the way

1. i have 3 cards i use for shopping online the one with the most security my capital one i use for new sites i dont use my cards that tied to my bill paying account for online shopping at all
2. amazon has just about everything i need
3. if they dont offer coupon codes i dont shop
4.paypal or no way pal
5.i hate the gap but love there cc sales and they are really just out to get me but i have to read there return policy everytime i shop they have changed things on me wayyyyy to many times so i now read everyones return and exchange policy
6. i dont store my cc or checking information in any online site and frequently clear my cookies
7. and most of all not just because i am broke but i dont order hundreds of dollars of stuff online
8. and now that im all into hair stuff and all natural products i have been online looking mostly at products i can actually buy and return if i dont like it so drugstore.com takes open returns so does target and walmart so for right now thats where i look for all my natural products.

 

[Melody.Monroe]

I expect the same thing from small companies that I expect from large companies and that is EXCELLENT customer service and a product or service worth my money. I don't care if it was made/thought up in your kitchen or in a stadium sized factory, I want what I paid for. Small business should pace themselves. Sometimes people are so anxious to just get their product out there that they forego so much. Such as proper marketing, business etiquette, and professionalism because the only thing that they care about is the PROFIT and not the longevity of the brand that they are trying to establish and create. That's why Walmart has been around so long, and Johnson Family products, and Bayer and all of them. There is a certain standard that we have come to expect so much so that certain products we call ALL by a brand name ie Band-Aid, Clorox, Vaseline, Pampers.

I definitely support black business WHOLE HEARTEDLY but I would want and expect great customer service from any community of people. Unfortunately we (black people) have the reputation of being lazy, unscrupulous, and having bad customer service. I kicked booty when I was a waitress and I avoided black tables like the plague - because even if you bend over backwards 98% of the time they would give you a horrible tip. White people would give me over 20% tips. When I sell on eBay and when I used to sell on Etsy I gave customer service out the behind because I know a happy customer is a repeat customer. So many people are money hungry and forget that customers put that money in their pocket. And if I get shoddy customer service I make it known. Y'all know bad news travels like a wild fire and good news travels like snail mail.

Great shipping, honest and fair customer service and a good product and I will come back over and over. Point, blank, simple.

 

[BEAUTYU2U]

Other than time/shipping time, no! A business is a business, large or small. I expect quality products, good customer service, etc. Don't go into business if you can't run one.

 

[shelli4018]

Yeah, sometimes I think we're a little too hard on them. long ago there was controversy about a popular vendor because she raised her prices. People thought she was taking advantage of them. But turns out the cost of supplies warranted the increase.

I'm willing to forgive a clumsy start. But I won't look over sloppy work, lack or professionalism, inferior products or general incompetence.

 

[Iluvsmuhgrass]

I think we tend to expect too much from small business and too little from large corporations. Don't get me wrong, I have high expectations from small business but not unreasonable. I expect good customer service and such, but as a woman that has burned the candle on both ends I understand how difficult it can be. As an owner, you have alot of people that want the world and then some. Some customers will even be dishonest in order to get ahead, so you definitely have to draw a line in the sand. As a customer, I am a reasonable woman. I just want what I pay for within a reasonable amount of time. Should I ever need customer service, I expect it to be quite good. I am a bit more patient than most because I'm naturally laid back. (Not "let-you-run-me-over" laid back but "I-understand-what's-going-on-and-it's-cool" laid back.

As far as products. I share when I find a good company that is tried and true. Their products may not work for my hair (or etc.) but if it was otherwise a good experience, I will share. I'm not hard to please but I do have standards.

 

[Kirei]

I think if you have never run a business or worked for a small business you may not have a feel for how much of a struggle day to day operations are. It isn't that easy to just go out and get help. Or even if things are a great idea, you only have so much cash flow that you can devote to improvements. And there is that point between start up and making a profit that is really a killer for small businesses. They are getting just enough profit to keep going but not enough profit to make it to the next level.

And unfortunately because they are learning so much on the fly and afraid to say no to anything they try to please everyone when they really don't have the resources and it makes them look bad.

But I am in no way excusing people who don't provide the product or service. Or the disrespectful communications or any other bizarre behaviors people seem to think are ok in business.

This. I have to admit that before I started my business I was hard on other businesses but, now I understand some situations.

Now, I don't condone dishonesty but, I do understand some other issues.

I have to admit it takes a lot of time to research how to run an online business and if you don't research it, it will show.

 

[PJaye]

Small business owners should initially sell to their family, friends and other immediate social circles before branching out to the greater public. In this way, they are able to fine tune both their merchandise and business strategies; these are the people that are more amenable to them learning on the job as they work out the kinks in their business venture.

However, once a company markets their products to the general public, they are now “stomping with the big dogs” and should expect to receive a higher level of scrutiny while working harder to ensure customer satisfaction. Unfortunately, the capitalistic rush towards success causes many to misjudge, misstep and get in over their heads.

At any rate, my expectations from any commercial industry, whether large or small, are as follows:

- A reliable, safe product

- Merchandise that is shipped in a timely fashion (anything beyond 3 weeks is excessive, IMO)

- Be easily accessible to consumers (with at least two means of contact that is checked regularly)

- Provide decent customer service that includes having an open atmosphere in the face of difficulties, errors, complaints, etc.

Violating any of the above will place you on my ever-growing personal No Fly List.

 

[babyu21]

We are the society of NOW, NOW, NOW. We want what we want, great service, superior quality all for the lowest possible price. I have worked for large corporations that are horrible at keeping inventory and shipping but they have the budgets and man power to overnight and special order items that a small business won't be able to.

I do think folks are to hard on small business owners and I understand people work hard for their money but I don't think their is one person alive who hasn't made some kind of error or overlooked something at work. As long as you apologize and try to correct the issue I am willing to give you another try.

 

[darlingdiva]

I think if you have never run a business or worked for a small business you may not have a feel for how much of a struggle day to day operations are. It isn't that easy to just go out and get help. Or even if things are a great idea, you only have so much cash flow that you can devote to improvements. And there is that point between start up and making a profit that is really a killer for small businesses. They are getting just enough profit to keep going but not enough profit to make it to the next level.

And unfortunately because they are learning so much on the fly and afraid to say no to anything they try to please everyone when they really don't have the resources and it makes them look bad.

But I am in no way excusing people who don't provide the product or service. Or the disrespectful communications or any other bizarre behaviors people seem to think are ok in business.

I definitely agree with the bolded.

I was at an event the other day, and the keynote speaker was the creator of the Rumcake Fairy Dessert Factory. Before her business took off, it came to the attention of Gayle King that she made rum cakes. Gayle told Oprah, and Oprah wanted her to make cakes on a large scale. She turned the offer down because she made cakes out of her kitchen, and she knew she couldn't produce cakes on a large scale at that time.

 

[LittleLuxe]

What I expect:

1. Products in stock or it saying ON THE WEBSITE that the item is out of stock.
2. Reasonable prices. GTFO if you're trying to charge me a ridiculous amounts cor crap ingredients.
3. Good communication. If you've got an email, someone better respond to it, if you've got a phone number, someone better answer it. I shouldn't need to contact a psychic to reach you.
4. SEND ME MY PRODUCT. THE END.
5. If something goes wrong then ADMIT to it, handle it and be mature and business-like and I'll be glad to continue to do business with you.

I don't think that's expecting too much at all. I think that's just expecting responsibility.

 

[Kirei]

What I expect:

1. Products in stock or it saying ON THE WEBSITE that the item is out of stock.
2. Reasonable prices. GTFO if you're trying to charge me a ridiculous amounts cor crap ingredients.
3. Good communication. If you've got an email, someone better respond to it, if you've got a phone number, someone better answer it. I shouldn't need to contact a psychic to reach you.
4. SEND ME MY PRODUCT. THE END.
5. If something goes wrong then ADMIT to it, handle it and be mature and business-like and I'll be glad to continue to do business with you.

I don't think that's expecting too much at all. I think that's just expecting responsibility.

All of these are reasonable expectations.

I think most companies can deliver on these things....the hard part is finding them among some of the rotten apples! Ha!

 

[natura87]

No..if I am giving you my hard earned money you had better deliver.