Let’s See If We Can Help BlueHost.com Improve Their Horrible Customer Service

Posted by Steve Rhode as Business Failures, Customer Service

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My last post was me bitching about being basically told to fuck off by BlueHost.com whom I initially recommended for their web hosting packages and ease of setting up my account but latter pissed on when they told me to get lost.

I thought it would be helpful to give some examples of how the situation could have been handled differently so others can see how easy good customer service can be.

If you look back on that last post on the unbelievably poor customer service BlueHost dished out you would have seen that the first hint I had that their was an issue with my account was when I received the following email from them.

Your web hosting account for *** was deactivated (reason: terms of service violation). Your data may still be temporarily available even though your web site may not be functioning. If you feel this deactivation is in error, please contact support as soon as possible.
Thank you, BlueHost.Com Support http://www.bluehost.com For support go to http://helpdesk.bluehost.com/ Toll-Free: (888) 401-4678

As a businessman I always try to pay close attention to customer service issues. It is a lot less expensive to make a current customer happy than it is to find a new customer. Besides, a customer service issue is a chance for you to convert a person with a problem into a raving fan and cheerleader for your business.

So here is how BlueHost could have turned that issue into an award winning moment. Let’s just change the email around a bit and see if you like the new draft.

Hi,
I'm afraid an issue with your hosting account has been brought to our attention. We think the matter can be resolved and we would like for you to contact us so we can work together to remedy the situation. If you are able to immediately address the issue, as stated in the notes below, that would be appreciated. If you are not able to correct the error within 48 hours we will have to deactivate your account. When we deactivate an account it does not mean that your files are deleted from the server. It simply means that your account and all the sites under your account will no longer be accessible on the Internet. If the problem can't be satisfactorily resolved within XX days after being deactivated then we will have no other choice but to terminate your account and delete all files. We value you as a customer and want to give you an opportunity to correct the problem. Please contact us at [contact method] so we can be of assistance and work with you. Do not reply to this email. This email account is for outbound emails only. If you can’t call us on our toll-free number, you can reach us on our direct number at (212) 555-1212 or open a new support ticket at http://helpdesk.bluehost.com/. Below are the notes from the account administrator about this situation: “remove any copyrighted manuals from the hosting account or provide proof that you have the right to redistribute the manuals. I picked one at random and it has a copyright notice in it, IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m assuming others do too” Again, we are here to help and look forward to assisting you in quickly addressing this issue.
Thank you, BlueHost.Com Support http://www.bluehost.com Toll-Free: (888) 401-4678

Granted the suggested email is a bit more wordy but it does accomplish the following items:

It says they value you as a customer.
It lets you know the business wants to work with you to remedy the problem.
It provides an escalation path if you can’t resolve the problem.
It makes it clear what the multiple methods of communication are.
The email provides specific information regarding the problem that you can act on.
A clear description is included about what it actually means to have your account deactivated.

Which email would you prefer to receive if you were a BlueHost customer?

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Steve

2 Responses

shc

March 14th, 2008 at 1:44 am
1

Agreed….why do they deactivate account without notice.
I hate it too.

Which hosting service do you use now?
Jbm

September 20th, 2008 at 8:31 am
2

My current hosting service was up for renewal so I thought about moving all my sites to bluehost since they ranked so high.

Unfortunately after dealing with their customer service, not once but in 3 different occasions (every time I figured maybe the person was in a bad mood so I thought I’d give the next customer service a chance) I was horrified at how incredible obnoxious and rude these people are.

Here I am trying to move my service to them, and they treated me so incredibly rude, I figured what’s going to be like if I actually became a customer!!!