Cultural differences between buyers and doll companies

I don't think that cultural differences make much of a difference when it comes to broken parts, etc. The customer is always right, and it doesn't matter where the company or the customer are located. If I bought a doll from an American company and it arrived damaged, I would be mad. If it didn't arrive at all or if it took a really long time to arrive, I would be mad. The cultural difference can make communication difficult because of the language barrier, but when it comes down to it, good business is good business, and bad business is bad business.

 

You just highlighted one of the most important cultural differences, do you realize that? lol~ In other cultures the customer is NOT always right, so if you approach a problem with that attitude you are a lot less likely to get a good result than if you (with an awareness of the company's different cultural basis) approach it like "Oh, look, this unfortunate thing happened. I know you're not at fault but please fix it for me because I know you have pride in your product."

I keep seeing people stating that "The customer is always right" is NOT a cultural bias but is "just good business". In fact, it *IS* a cultural bias. This is especially true of companies, such as many (not all) doll makers who focus much more on making a large amount of money from a relatively small number of items rather than making a smaller amount of money from a huge number of items.

True, a company should always replace broken, missing, damaged or incorrect parts. However, I've found it's a lot easier to do so when you approach the problem with cultural sensitivity rather than an aggressive "The customer is always right" attitude.

H

 

I seem to have just experienced something of this myself, here.

Insight on my perspective: I work for an international heating and air conditioning company, and I often receive calls from my clients who have received parts that were damaged, or have found parts missing from the orders they have placed. As an international company, we are expected to keep shipping replacement parts at our expence, not the customer's, until one arrives undamaged, and then file claims with the shipping companies (as all our shipping comes with insurance) to recoup the funds of the missing parts.

Culture clash: In working a transaction with another DoA member, I requested insurance (that I had not yet paid for because it had slipped my mind in the beginning, but for which I was perfectly willing to pay) in order to protect both the seller and myself. The seller took offence to the thought that I would insist on a refund if her shipping methods resulted in the item being lost or damaged (this being without the insurance), and demanded to back out of the transaction.

In my mind, asking for insurance so she wouldn't have to refund me was just good business. In hers, it seems to have been a personal insult. The seller is now upset with me, and I feel sad that our views on business are so dissimilar and caused such friction.

 

You make a great point! It always makes me shake my head when customers get very rude or demanding. It won't get you anywhere, especially with the asian cultures that in this hobby, all of us inadvertantly deal with most. I was just on the LeekeWorld website a few minutes ago and was appalled by the lack of respect some customers show on the Q&A board there.

Another favourite complaint seems to be that companies take a long time to reply. Aside from them being busy and needing time to go through an interpreter, any first-year business student will tell you that in the asian business culture, things go a lot more slowly and deliberately. If they were to rush their communication, they would feel they are not doing business the right way - it wouldn't be "good business" to them. They tend to evaluate and re-evaluate and it can drive many Westerners, especially Americans, crazy.

But let's be honest - we accept their culture enough to desire their products; in my opinion we should also accept them enough to educate ourselves and be less ignorant. We are lucky that our business world is globalized enough for us to be able to get these dolls from so far away - 50 years ago, such a thing would have been unthinkable.

 

Someone was insulted that you wanted insurance?
Do they not read the postal horror stories on this board????

good grief!

(not, of course that the PO will actually pay out on the insurance. Ask me about that when you have a spare year....)

 

If you approach an american company in a rude manner- you are also going to hit a wall. If I have a problem with a company- I always start off politely, being rude only if they are rude to me first. I dont hit any company with the "customer is always right" I dont think that is much of a cultural difference. In my work, if people are rude, difficult or demanding- I am polite back- but I'll charge them more, because they are using my time. And so I figure if I am doing that- any company I approach will do that as well.
It may be a bit different culturally, but my behavior is the same. Polite first, and for quite a while before I turn into a mad, howling monster

 

Rudeness makes me cringe as well--especially when it's over very minor things.

I don't really go for the customer is always right (especially after a few of the jobs I've had). Customers should be treated with courtesy and respect, and legitimate issues should be dealt with. However, there's always going to be things that come up that just aren't the responsability or fault of the company. And some customers (not just in the doll world, everywhere) are nutty, to put it nicely, and there just isn't much anyone can do with them.

It's a two way exchange between company and customer, and the customer needs to do their part for a pleasant transaction as well as the seller.

 

Perhaps I mistyped. I don't think it's ever ok to be rude to a company doing business with you, and no aggression was intended. I just think that if someone buys a product or service from a company, regardless of country, they should get what they paid for. It seems like you're saying that in Japan it's ok to charge $500 for an item, then send out a broken product, and tell the customer "Sorry, we're not going to replace it" and have it be good business.

"The customer is always right" is just a general phrase that I used to get my point across, but I didn't intend it to mean that you can be an asshat and expect to be treated well. But at the same time, I personally don't think that anyone, in any country in the world, would be happy to receive a broken/damaged/incorrect item, especially when they pay a large sum of money for it. Both sides should always be pleasant in a transaction, even when things get really messed up (Luts sometimes triple-charges for dolls on credit cards?). But if the mistake really is the fault of the company (perhapas I misread the OP, but it seems like the discussion is referring to defective or incorrect parts, which is the fault of the company), then they should fix the issue, regardless of the country the company is in.

It just seems to me like a lot of people are like "Well it's Japan/Korea, over there it's ok to sell people defective products!" and I'm a bit skeptical about that. I've never been to Japan or Korea, so for all I know, over there the sky is green and cows fly. But I do find it hard to believe that a Japanese person would pay that much money, receive the wrong item, and not be able to hold the company responsible for their error. So why should an American in the same situation have to just accept the mistake?

But again, perhaps I'm just misunderstanding the question, or I'm too nieve to understand what "good business" means.

 

I live in Japan and buy from different shops everyday from the supermarket to the hundred-yen store to BJD items and have NEVER felt that they took my business for granted. They tend to follow the Japanese proverb that translates roughly to "The customer is king". I don't take the service for granted either, though, and do try to use Japanese.

Japanese retailers do value their customers. They are polite. In person. I think the Internet and the language barrier, however, complicates things and detaches them from the customer-focused perspective. They can be more honest. I don't think this is any less true of American sellers either.

I do feel, however, you made a great point with the pride comment. Volks, for instance, prides themselves on being the first company to create these dolls. This is why they tend to be more exclusive and in editions. It keeps the demand up and lets them more or less choose their customers. I don't think this is any less true of stores in the United States that only ship within the US. They too are choosing their customers - Americans. How much business are they losing? Well, there are a billion people in China alone. That's a huge market to shut out.

I think it's important not to lose sight of the broader perspective. In Japan and other countries it can be impossible to gain access to some American markets either due to strict shipping policies or as a result of language barriers. This makes them leary about reaching out to the International market. It really does go both ways when looking at it from a broader perspective.

But this is only my opinion.

 

It's funny that you point this out. Where I live, we have a Thai restaurant run by 1st generation immigrants. My girlfriend and I eat there all the time, and now every time we go, not only do we often get free drinks but our friends have started by proxy getting free dessert. The owner is like, "These are my friends!" It's a little embarrassing to some of our friends who don't get it, but it's just one more reason to come back. Taking care of your regulars is a great business strategy as well as being nice.

I think the same is true for doll companies (etc). If you repeatedly buy from the same company, the owners and, moreover, the representatives, will start to get to know you. And even if you're not someone they actually know, treating you with respect and helping you out because they know you've repeatedly supported them, will ensure that you continue to do so.

I think here we feel that companies are "out to get you" or want to "make a fast buck" and we tend to feel suspicious or even suspect that someone is making a move on us when people are overly friendly. I think it's more true in cities as opposed to big towns, but. It's just a difference of culture.

 

I think that if you are going to open a website that targets a specific country/group of people.... then you should know about that market. If you are going to open a website in English, that ships products to America, then you should be familiar with the American market. I wouldn't open up a webpage in Japanese without knowing anything about the culture or how customer service is handled there. It's good to know what your target market is accustomed to, so you don't come off as incompetent or ignorant.

I get very frustrated when doll companies have what is considered poor customer service in America, long response times, poor English communication skills, being stubborn about replacing broken parts.

 

Another thank you to angmasuzy for your very informative & enlightening post!

^THIS

Personally, I think it's unrealistic for a company that is selling internationally to understand the customs & expectations within your specific country. If you consider how many variances in cultural mores occur even between English-speaking countries, then consider that these companies often sell to countries all over the world, where there are even greater degrees of difference between what is considered "polite & proper".

I really think it's up to the customer to be sensitive to the culture of the company that they are dealing with & it's up to us to--when necessary--modify our behavior to ensure a favorable experience for both parties. As others have said, someone who is selling you something wants you to be happy, though the specifics of why that is may vary, the basic truth is that they will likely do whatever is reasonably within their abilities to accommodate you if there's a problem.