Customer friendly merchants, finally

I’ve been asked to review a new website called CustomerFriendly.org. So, I took a mosey over to it, checked them out, and have to say I was pleased with what I saw. So far…

CustomerFriendly.org is new, not brand spankin’ new, but new. It’s a directory of online merchants that have vowed to maintain a high level of customer service. Personally I think this is a great idea, I hope to see it take off.

Here’s how it works

Potential merchants pay a fee of $25 to join and in return are added to the directory and are allowed to display the CustomerFriendly.org site seal.

Here’s a direct quote from their site:

Have you ever been misled, lied to, or treated poorly by a merchant? Have you ever waited for days to receive an email response? We have too. So our primary goal is to offer shoppers a wide selection of sites that are all dedicated to good customer service!

We offer the Site Seal program so shoppers can easily identify merchants that are truly Customer Service Friendly. So browse the directory and be sure to visit the sites that are Customer Friendly listed. These merchants have made a pledge to insure you receive the best shopping experience possible.

Sounds good to me.

But…

There are only two things about this site that I think could use improvement.

Mostly I think they should make it clear that if a participating merchant is unable to provide anything but stellar customer service, they will be pulled from the program without a refund of their listing fee. I think this will help to make sure that the merchants listed truly are dedicated to providing great customer service. Otherwise it’s just another paid directory.

Second, I think the website could use a little love. Just a little more work on the aesthetics of it would be nice. It’s a little plain. But, look at the success of craigslist.org, and you’ll see that a plain website can be huge, so this is negligible.

All-in-all

The idea for the site is great and it’s very easy to navigate. As it’s still relatively new there aren’t a ton of paid inclusions, but I hope to see that change. If they can come up with a way to police their listings, I think this site will take off. There’s a lot of room for success for them, and I’ll be tracking their progress!

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