Classless.com

Okay, this business debacle did work out fine for me, however I could not resist using title anyway.

If you are wondering if today's lesson in business has to do with a case from Classmates.com, you are absolutely correct.

I have long since abandoned using my gold membership at Classmates.com. In the past year, I think that made a connection with one person from my past that I may not have met without having their expensive upgraded membership. However, at the risk of offending that person, I feel that that hardly justifies my membership in the service that seems to operate in a similar fashion as the typical online dating service ("looks are free, but contacts are gonna cost ya"). Seeing as I'm married, not to mention the Facebooks and MySpaces of the world that make connections both simple and free, Classmates is well behind the social networking curve.

Unfortunately, I screwed up.

I forgot to cancel my service and was charged $39.00 for my next year of service.

I immediately realized the problem and contacted the company:

"Please cancel my Gold membership and refund the recent $39 charge to my credit card. I no longer have an interest in your paid service and wish to return to the free service effective immediately Failure remedy this situation prior to Friday, December 7 at 5:00 p.m. CST will result in a fraud investigation against Classmates.Com with my credit card company. Thank you for your prompt assistance in this matter."

This was a stern email, but polite, straight-forward, and offering an opportunity for the company to resolve the problem prior to taking further action.

Their response:

"Thank you for contacting Classmates. I'm more than happy to assist you.

I’m sorry to hear that you want to cancel your Gold membership. Since you’ve already paid for your Gold membership, I have removed you from the automatic renewal program so that you won’t be charged again.

You may continue to use your Gold membership features until the end of the current membership term, which is Nov 28, 2008. At the end of that term, your membership will revert to a FREE membership.

For your benefit, I’ll take a moment to explain how you were enrolled in the automatic renewal program. While purchasing your Gold membership, you were presented with information just above the Submit Payment button explaining that your membership will automatically renew. Additionally, you have the option to remove this feature at any time by logging into My Account and then updating My Membership Information.

Again, please be assured that I have removed you from the automatic renewal program and you will not be charged again.

Thank you for being a Classmates member. We hope that you'll continue to get the most out of your membership by locating and staying connected to school friends, coworkers, and military buddies.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me again."

Clearly this was not the response I was looking for. Also, notice that this person clearly understands that I am trying to cancel my membership within a few days of the renewal. Should I have been more observant? Absolutely. As a previously paying customer of the company, however, I should not have had to send the following response:

"I am disappointed to hear of your inflexibility regarding cancelling or prorating my service with classmates.com when I contacted you within the 1st week of service. This is very poor business and a very risky move in a "Web 2.0" era. I will be filing a fraud grievence as this is a service that I only used since your company charged me to tell you not to charge me. Furthermore, this action on the part of your company is unethical and I will be certain to make certain that it is reported to the appropriate consumer advocacy groups. I am willing to work with you on this issue for a more equitable solution, but I do warn that there will be reprocussions should Classmates continue their current course of action regarding my membership fee. If you wish to speak with me personally regarding this issue, I may be reached either at my home at XXX-XXX-XXXX or XXX-XXX-XXXX. I highly recommend that you or your superior contact me within the next 24 hours to resolve this issue in a more palatable manner.

Thank you for your immediate response."

There response, which arrived in under thirty minutes was:

"Thank you for contacting Classmates. I can understand your frustration and will do my best to address your concerns.

Although we don’t want to lose you as a Gold member, because you clearly didn’t get the value you wanted from our site I’m happy to make an exception to our policy and process a refund.

A credit will be processed for you immediately. Based on your financial institution, please allow up to 30 days for the credit to appear on your statement.

You may continue to use the FREE membership benefits on our site

Thank you for contacting us so that we could take care of your concerns. We hope that you'll continue to come back to Classmates.com to reconnect with others.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me again."

Don't hold your breath.

Lesson: Common sense and customer service, even when your customers are taking their business elsewhere is paramount in this "Web 2.0" era. Your customers have the power to make or break your company. I have no doubt that the thought process behind the Classmates, cancellation/refund process is that a certain percentage of customers will just be angry and deal with it rather than to confront Classmates further, resulting in improved revenue for the company.

Don't be "Classless" in your business practices. The majority of your customers will be far happier with your ethical practices, which will far outweigh the relatively few that may try to take advantage of you.

Remember, the potential for bad publicity when your company initially refuses a refund can be far greater than $39.00.

Minding My Own Business is a blog written by Augustine Iacopelli. This blog consists of a mix of general business observations and contrarian positions on relevant topics as well my own forays in the world of business and networking.

Managing the Social Mixer Professionally

On Wednesdays, I take a look at the impact of current events directly or indirectly impacting me and apply them to a business management context.

Tonight, I will be attending the annual "mixer" for Wichita Professional Communicators. This provides me with an opportunity to chat and get to know other professionals in a more relaxed atmosphere. However, because I do not wish to offend with poor etiquette this evening, I believe that it is appropriate to review the commonly accepted social etiquette for an event such as this. These etiquette tips are identical regardless of the professional atmosphere, because this evening's event, while called a "social mixer" is ultimately a professional event requiring the same level of professional tact that I might carry myself in the office or other professional settings.

Arrive on time: This one is a no-brainer. I am expected to arrive a little early so that I may be able to collect money at the door for this mixer. To not arrive on time to assist with this task would be a slight to the host of the event.

Avoid controversial topics like they are the plague: Another no-brainer, but it is a trap that some of my fellow attendees at this event may still fall into. If I run into something like this, I will do my best to either shift the topic or move to another group at the event (see "graceful exit" below). Offending someone with subject matter ranging from politics to religion is a bad way to obtain their business in the future.

Introduce yourself/greet anyone within about a 5 foot radius of you, unless it is disruptive to do so: Always introduce/greet with a firm handshake and a brief introduction (if you do not know the person) or a brief statement, such as "how are you this evening?"

Bring all group members, including new arrivals into conversation as much as possible: This part of the dance I struggle with, as I believe that many of us do. Try to pepper what you are talking about with questions of the others within the group you are speaking, especially new members of the group. Remember, that you obtain more important information by listening than by speaking.

Practice remembering names: Another area where I wish I were better with. The most recommended method of trying to remember names is by repeating the name of the person you are greeting when they mention it to you (e.g. "Ann, it's a pleasure to meet you."). If you are actively mixing with others, there is a good chance that you will not remember everyone's name off the top of your head, but by using the "name repeat" method, the length of time that it takes to connect the face and the name is decreased.

Be sincere and show that sincerity to others with good eye contact: The eyes are the gateway to the soul. By connecting your eyes with those of another, you are opening yourself up to the other person or people in the group. This non-verbal technique will add validity to what you are saying and will encourage others to open up to you.

Mingle between multiple groups to maximize the contacts you make during the mixer: My only caveat to this advice is that if you are not great at remembering names, I believe that you can over-mingle. Introducing yourself to everyone in the room is great, but if you cannot remember more than half of them later, it's less useful than introducing yourself to fewer individuals and having a much higher recall rate later.

Understand and implement the "graceful exit:" It is important to always politely excuse yourself before moving on from one person/group to another. Never simply turn and walk away! At worse, simply say, "Excuse me" and wave to the rest of the group before moving on. At best, say, "it's been a pleasure to meet you (use name(s) when possible), please excuse me," and throw in another handshake for good measure.

The "mixer" can be just as much of a professional battlefield as the office place, and perhaps more so because many people let their guard too far down during these types of events. I'm going to try not to be one of those people this evening. I encourage you not to be one of those people as well!

Minding My Own Business is a blog written by Augustine Iacopelli. This blog consists of a mix of general business observations and contrarian positions on relevant topics as well my own forays in the world of business and networking.