this response didn't make me feel valued

By Jason Sherrill
Posted on Dec 14, 2006

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On 12/07/06, I submitted an inquiry through Bionaire's website to ask where I could purchase their model BH3930 heater. The response they sent me today wasn't very helpful, but the lack of useful information isn't want caused me to shake my head in disappointment.

Bionaire's contact form asked me to provide my first and last name, which I did, and also my email address and my question or comment. Today, this is the response I received:

Hello Valued Customer,

I have just received your email and I would like to thank you for writing. I can give you a list of our retailers in your area. However, I can't guarantee that they will have the product you need in stock. The retailers are as follows:

Wal-mart
K-mart
Target
Sears
Lowes
Ace Hardware
Home Depot

Or you may place an order by contacting our consumer service center. The number is toll free: 1(800)546-5637, 6AM-3PM, MST, Monday through Friday. I appreciate your business.

In every sales book I've ever read, every customer service & sales seminar I've attended, and in each communication class I took in college, this basic rule was always covered: if you know a customer's name, use it when addressing him.
Even though the writer addressed me as "Valued Customer," I would've felt much more valued had he or she taken the time to greet me by name. As Dale Carnegie said in How to Win Friends and Influence People, "Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language."

I suspect that Seth Godin might agree that using my name probably would have just been too hard.