Peter wrote: <<even into the hostile environment of this thread>>
Peter (and Alex and John),
We aren't hostile, we're just paying customers who like to be kept informed, and get responses to our questions & problems. When this happens as it should, most of us are the nicest folks in the world.
When we send an email, make a phone call, or ask an online question and get no response at all, some of us get a bit surly. This doesn't mean we are hostile -- simply that, like most folks, we get frustrated when we're ignored by those we pay to provide us a service.
In thinking back over the six months I've used Datek and read this thread, Datek has usually been EXTREMELY responsive to our technical usability needs. Server speed is much improved, quotes are timelier, news links better, orders7, NYSE and AMEX were added, etc. True, we still don't have options or streaming/LII quotes, but I can be patient on this because we see the progress you guys are making.
OTOH, nearly every "hostile" message during this time was prompted, or at least perpetuated, by a lack of responsiveness to specific questions about "how things work" behind the scenes and individual problems. Things like NYSE quote representation, mucked-up transfers (in and out), missing transactions, etc.
A lot of these problems, like The Vet's recent missing transfer, only surfaced on the board at all because repeated private phone calls and/or emails over a period of days or weeks were ignored or produced no results.
That isn't hostility -- it's frustration with bad service!
You guys are the BEST at the technical stuff. That's why most of us are here. But you still have a way to go on the responsiveness/ service end of things.
And, frankly, Peter's comment was very telling. A shared perception that your customers are "hostile" may be at the root of a lot of these problems.
-- Joel (own a customer-service business in my day job...) |
