Conceit

It is conceit when an organisation starts following practices that are meant to make its own life easier, rather than the customer's. It is conceit when an organisation takes advantage of a sudden shortage in supply to artificially inflate prices and make a quick buck. It is conceit when an organisation disregards the anguish of a mistreated customer, because there are many others like him/her queuing up to the buy the company's products or services.

Customers put up with this as long as they do not have a choice, though a slow anger burns in their hearts.

And then a smart competitor comes in, recognises that anger, and then comes up with a product or service that address that specific cause of pain. And voila, customers desert the older established player in droves, and starts flocking to the new upstart.

Twenty years ago, there was only one car manufacturer. People stood in line to buy their car. Bookings were taken even ten years in advance. And the hapless population got foisted with an old obsolete model because they had no choice.

Who cares what the suckers think? We are not going waste money upgrading ourselves!

That was conceit.

And then suddenly the Lord, sorry, the Government, said, "Let there be competition!"

And suddenly the party was not so hot any more. Their car, from being the only choice of an entire country, became just the choice for taxi drivers and travel agencies.

Last time I applied for a loan, the bank made me sign at three places on each page of a fat booklet filled with fine print. A total of fifty two signatures, I counted! Fifty two ! And I have no idea at all what all that fine print meant, because nobody bothered to explain it to me. I signed, because I needed the loan, and I did not have the time to hire a lawyer to comb through all that legalese. All I am sure is that the bank has kept enough legal provisions in place to put my neck in the noose, should I ever overstep my mark and ask for my rights.

That fat booklet with its fifty two signatures is made to make the bank's life convenient. Not mine.

Conceit.

Well, enjoy the party as long as it lasts my friends. Sooner or later, some smart bloke will find out that this is what cheeses off customers, and come up with an alternative. Good luck to you after that!

If you travel frequently, then one day you may suddenly discover that your hotel has suddenly nearly doubled its tariff. The room is the same, the service is the same, the decor and the food is the same, but the price has suddenly gone up two times.

Why? Because there is a three day convention happening in the town, and most of the hotels are all booked. Snicker, snicker, let's rake in the moolah, the suckers don't have much choice.

Conceit !

Conceit stems from, what I call the SSM attitude. The "So? Sue me" attitude.

No my friends, customers cannot sue you. But they can and will desert you as soon as there is an alternative. Keep that in mind before you get too conceited.