Had an experience this past week which made me reconsider how important a single email can be.

I belong to a wine club, you know, the kind that ship you a different wine each month? Its a lot of fun to have it show up on your doorstep. I love opening the box and then trying something new! However, this month my shipment didn't show up. They usually appear towards the beginning of the month and I hadn't gotten anything by the 20th. I finally decided to call and see if there was a problem. The customer service politely explained there had been a delay in shipping my product. They did not explain what caused this delay but added I would receive my shipment on the 26th. (I'd also like to add they did not apologize for the delay, they just told me the arrival date.) After hanging up, I wondered if I would receive an automated email of some kind, alerting me that my New Years Champagne (yup, that's what they called it) would not arrive 'til almost February. But nothing showed up in my inbox.

It really bothered me that this company didn't bother sending even a one line email. They just let it go. I guess they assumed their customers wouldn't notice the two week gap. Its not like they didn't have my information, either. I get an email each month telling me I've been billed. More than a week seems like a pretty long time when you are expecting a shipment... especially one that's time-sensitive. Not that I won't find another occasion to drink champagne, but it was the principle of the thing.

I wonder how many customers called in, possibly angry, about the delay of their wine. It seems to me that an email (which costs nothing to send) might have saved them a lot of headache and kept a number of clients, like me, perfectly content. I wonder if they even considered sending an email, or am I just so tethered to the internet that my concept of common sense didn't occur to them?

Either way, this incident impressed upon me the power of a single email, or lack thereof. In fact, this situation has actually made me consider going with a different wine club when my account ends. So those of you who deal in e-commerce, remember that a simple note, sent at no cost, to a dozen or more clients can make a big difference. And personally, as a business owner, if that email kept back even one angry phone call, I think its worth it.

Do you have a story like this? Do you think my evaluation of the situation is too harsh? Have you ever had a make-or-break moment in regards to a single email? Share it with me! I'd also like to point out that this was the inspiration for #72 Wait a Minute Mr. Postman in my 100 Top Internet Blunders made by Businesses that I posted last week.