Example of BAD customer service

There are many kinds of customer service in this world. Some good, some bad. Some fabulous, some atrocious. Some so-so. I am not presenting myself as an authority on customer service. After all, I have neither a doctorate in this subject nor years of experience with serving customers. I am just a humble armchair critic who believes he knows how he likes to be treated when he steps into the shoes of a customer. A friend of mine was sharing her experience with me which I thought is appropriate to include here. Recently, someone alerted me that the decaffeinated coffee I have been drinking may be poisonous. I was informed that benzene which is poisonous might be used in the decaf process. I was naturally shocked to learn that I may have been consuming regular poison while thinking it was packed with healthy antioxidants. I conducted some research online and soon had my fear assuaged. It seems that the decaf process might have been poisonous in the past, but advances in technology have saved the day. I was the one who told my friend about all this but she remained unsettled (she drinks decaf coffee too). And so, she wrote in to 2 companies where she had consumed coffee from - Boncafe and Nescafe. She told me that Boncafe was a dear. They got back to her the next day and subsequently provided her with details on their decaf process (no benzene used). If you are interested, this is the jpg file (280 KB) describing the process. On the other hand, Nescafe took more than 1 week to get back to her and this was the message she received from them: Thank you for your email which has been referred to us via our Webmaster. As we do not have your contact number, kindly call our Consumer Services Hotline at 6836 7200 during office hours (9am to 5pm, Mon - Fri) so that we can better assist you. This is the example of BAD customer service I am talking about. And it is not only Nescafe - I myself have received similar responses from other companies for my queries too. Let's just go back to Nescafe for now. My friend had expressed her concern to them explicitly. She asked a *simple* question. The gist of her query is really "Is your decaf coffee poisonous?" Nescafe could have simply informed her of their decaf process and assured her that there is no benzene involved. This was what Boncafe did which conveys responsible professionalism. By ignoring my friend's query and asking her to use the phone instead, it begs the question whether they are truly just ignorantly unprofessional or that their decaf coffee is indeed poisonous. I really hope it is the former since I am currently drinking Nescafe decaf coffee (because it was the cheapest on the shelf - but it tastes as insipid and smells as aroma-less as the previous Nescafe coffee I remember so I may decide to pay more and switch brand when I finish this bottle). Just to set the record straight, I am NOT accusing Nescafe of anything here. I am just speculating on possibilities from the "evidence" I was given. Nescafe lawyers, please, I am just a poor guy. You won't get a cent even if you win the case. So, be nice Sirs and Madams and let me keep my pants... thanks. To reiterate, if a customer sends you an email (or use your online query form) with questions, be professional by addressing them. Please do not replicate the example above and ask the customer to call your hotline instead. If they want to call you, I am sure they will give you a mooch over the phone without you asking. Happy customer service. =)