I recently read an article, which pointed out, that cell phone service providers with the lowest rating for customer service also have the highest turnover rate. Well, borrowing a line from my 7-year-old son…duh! That’s the way it should be. Unfortunately this is not the case in most industries in our country. And “why” is the most important question to ask. Unless I miss my guess, it would be that most people are just plain lazy and would prefer not to make changes to their everyday life. Sad, when you think that statistically the majority of consumers are not happy with about 10 percent of the services or products they use daily.

The cell phone industry wasn’t able to escape the lazy consumer syndrome due to the fact that most people’s distain for their cell phone service providers had reached a boiling point that warranted even the laziest of consumers to make a change. As a result, over time cell phone service providers are getting better at customer service and cell phone service in general. They have to in order to survive. This is the point that most consumers are missing in a big way. Our power to choose in a free market society is our best and most powerful means of change. Companies that provide poor service or treat their customers poorly should be fired, thus forcing them to change their ways. I often speak to friends and neighbors who will tell me about a company or service provider in their life which has upset them by the usual culprit of “customer no-service,” but almost always they have no intention of changing providers. And the same is true when you listen to the Clark Howard Show, you will hear the same complaints over and over and the reason that you hear the same complaint is that those offending companies continue to conduct business without having to change. Constantly we read customer service surveys which tell us that the same companies rise to the top of the list in poor service are still making money or are still tops in the industry. This does not happen in all industries, year after year Consumer Reports ranks Apple and Dell computers at the top of the list in customer service and both companies are very profitable. But just like the cell phone statistic which began this article, those types of statistics are few and far between.

My first job out of college was working for a company that produced a consumer grade camera, which sold quite well. The camera had a defect that would usually show up around 18 months of use. The company never fixed the problem, even though customers complained, because it didn’t show up until after the warranty had expired and since the camera was still selling well they saw no reason the spend the extra money. If everyone considering a purchase of a camera knew that it would brake in about 18 months would they have purchased it? NO! But the company didn’t have to worry about that and they continued in business (by the way their out of business now).

The reason we started Business & Product Reports (B&PR) was to allow the acceleration of the old school-style of market correction called “Word of Mouth.” Once upon a time in America, people used the neighborhood businesses because their neighbors and friends told them they were great places filled with helpful people. But in today’s world, where the neighborhood is literally the entire world, simple word of mouth is not enough unless that word of mouth can be on a world-wide stage such as B&PR.

But even though that is the advantage of Business & Product Reports, our own statistics show that most people join to read the dirt that others have entered, without actually using the site or entering their own complaints. Once again, consumers are giving up their greatest power…”Choice and their power to change the choice of others.” It’s a simple premise when companies treat their customers poorly or market sub par products -- educated consumers choose a better company or product until the company that’s not doing the best either changes or goes out of business. If consumers are going to give up this “checks & balances” method of commerce then they shouldn’t expect to have better choices in the market. It’s our power to choose that keeps the market honest and continually improving.

So, take action today, it’s your best method of recourse. If a company or product is not doing its best to live up to the expectations that the company marketed, then FIRE THEM and find someone who will. As someone who operates my home life and business on this premise, you will find a business small or large that wants your business, and is willing to do what it takes to keep it.