Stop The Press! (Releases)

There’s an abundance of low-hanging fruit, ripe for the picking, any time any blogger wants to juxtapose press release platitudes with the unpleasant experiences of the little guy. Usually it’s the kind of low-hanging fruit I pass right by, but what the heck…

Via CRM Mastery E-Journal, Do You Have a Chief Customer Officer?:

Sears Holdings Corp (SHLD) just hired their first-ever “Chief Customer Officer”. John Walden joins the company after spending the last eight years at Best Buy.

In a 2004 Accenture press release, Walden explained Best Buy’s then-new customer-centricity initiative:

Best Buy’s new strategic direction is called “customer centricity,” which Walden explains “means trying to delight particular groups of customers by tailoring the products we offer in our stores to them, as opposed to the customary mass-market approach…This is a very fundamental change in how our talent will be deployed to meet the demands of our customers,” says Walden.

Then there’s this…

The Ulitimate(sic) Best Buy Extended Warranty Nightmare (videos and pics attached )

Jan.5th, 2007: After waiting 48 hrs without any word, I visit the store once again. Ask the clerk at the service desk to get the store manager. The clerk calls GM on his private line. Before emerging from the safety of his office, the clerk is directed by the GM on the phone to ask my name and reason for my visit. I provide my name and reply that my visit is regarding a 61 inch HDTV…Mr. Pameli comes down and immediately informs me that my problem is no longer the stores responsibility.

And: The Ultimate Best Buy Extended Warranty Nightmare:

I can vouch for his claims about their dismal service. In fact, I can do so from an insider perspective. That’s right: I used to work for Best Buy.

Nothing against Mr. Walden, I wish him well in his new position at Sears and was myself treated very well the last time I was in a Best Buy, still I’m inclined to wonder how much CCO-directed dedication to customer-centricity makes its way to the actual customers.