Rip-off Report Investigation
ZipWeb joins Rip-off Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program. ..A long name for a program that does a lot for both consumers and business alike.
Rip-off Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program, ..A program that benefits the consumer, which assures their complete satisfaction and confidence when doing business with a member business.
As a matter of policy, when Rip-off Report is retained by a company to mount an independent investigation and to publish our findings, we examine the truthfulness of the consumer complaints using every bit of information at our disposal. Our process is systematic and highly effective because: 1) It takes place at the consumer level and 2) the company or individual in our Corporate Advocacy Program must commit to 'doing whatever it takes to make things right with their customers.' By working closely with the company or individual, Rip-off Report can track the footprints left behind when their promised level of customer service is actually followed by the solid ground of real behavior. Only then do we publish our findings.
Rip-off Report cannot ever guarantee any product or service, but we can only report what we find, in order to help you get a better understanding of the company or individual we are investigating. That having been said, the conclusion Rip-off Report came to after our investigation, to the best of our knowledge, is that this company is a reputable firm, offering products and services of real value.
ALL COMPANIES GET COMPLAINTS, BUT HOW THE COMPANY HANDLES THOSE COMPLAINTS, SEPARATES GOOD BUSINESSES FROM BAD BUSINESSES.
By Ed Magedson - Founder, Rip-off Report
Z ipWeb approached Rip-Off Report last month with the express purpose of resolving consumer concerns posted on Rip-off Report. ZipWeb noticed that most of the complaints on Rip-Off Report revolved around our communications, rather than the service itself. The common thread in these complaints was that customers felt like they were taken by surprise when they got billed because they had not received their email and/or postal enrollment confirmations.
Although ZipWeb has built an extremely efficient fulfillment system involving both automated and people-driven processes, it is a fact that mail isn’t always delivered once it leaves their office, and email can be just as treacherous, given the nature of spam filters and other applications whose sole purpose is to protect recipients from unwanted communications. These automated gatekeepers often block emails from parties who “mass email,” and when this happens, companies like ZipWeb that send thousands of legitimate emails to customers every day often get caught up in the nets. To help remedy this, ZipWeb has and continues to maintain an in-house customer support team that handles ongoing client inquiries and requests regarding services. However, they also understand that most customers will not proactively call if they haven’t received anything yet. After all, they have a business to run and cannot be expected to keep track of details like this throughout the day. Additionally, ZipWeb learned that they need to do a better job of setting expectations on advertising results.
After a recent mailing to everyone who filed a Rip-off Report, it became apparent that ZipWeb is sincere in their commitment to remedy any and all customer concerns, disconnects and/or misconceptions. Company executives stated to Rip-off Report that ZipWeb has now dedicated a portion of their customer service team to work exclusively on making improvements in their customer service and communications. These changes were implemented as a direct result of feedback they received from Rip-off Report.
ZIPWEB CONTINUES TO CLARIFY WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY CAN DO FOR CLIENTS
ZipWeb is an Internet Marketing firm providing search engine placement, business listing advertising and an internet presence for small to mid-sized businesses. One of the surprises that came from the Rip-off Report investigation was that many of the complaints had to do with misconceptions about ZipWeb. ZipWeb understands the saying, "you can be judged by the company that you keep" so ZipWeb is working with their affiliate companies to make sure they are held to the same high standards, and they have adopted and will end relationships or eliminate certain business practices as necessary. It is important to remember that ZipWeb is the product, being sold by authorized resellers, much the same way that Best Buy or Costco are resellers of Dell computers. A problem with Best Buy or Costco does not automatically point back to Dell. ZipWeb has closely analyzed the issues which have caused negative feedback and has adjusted the processes which led to the reports. ZipWeb is more closely vetting those who resell access to the ZipWeb search engine. They assure Rip-off Report that the changes they have made will prevent the recurrence of similar mistakes in the future. Such changes include modifying and monitoring the delivery of the documents that they send all customers, being more clear on how and when billing will occur, and more accurately setting expectations on performance.
STATEMENTS FROM ZIPWEB
“ZipWeb is an internet marketing firm that started out as an affiliate advertising company, brokering traffic to various companies whose marketing initiatives included the generation of sales leads and referrals online. ZipWeb eventually developed proprietary technology and superior methodologies that enabled it to efficiently deliver relevant internet traffic results and also level the playing field of internet marketing to help local small and medium sized businesses gain exposure to real customers searching online for their products and services. Because ZipWeb’s mission is to help businesses who cannot afford to dedicate large amounts of time, effort or resources to enhancing their presence on the internet, ZipWeb is 110% dedicated to making this process as easy as possible to its customers. This translates to a strong commitment to customer service and support – we want anyone who ever comes in contact with ZipWeb, customer or otherwise, to be more than satisfied with the interaction and our services. Although online blogs magnify complaints, in aggregate approximately 100,000 businesses join ZipWeb each year, with the number of complaints being about 200/year, or a complaint ratio of 0.02%. All those that call us leave SATISFIED. There is never a need to complain to anybody else, all you need to do is call. If a customer has any questions, concerns, issues or is unhappy for any reason, we welcome them to please call our support department at 1-888-494-7932, and we guarantee that we will do whatever it takes to make it right.”
STATED IMPROVEMENTS FROM ZIPWEB
Because much of the stated problems stem from issues in communication, ZipWeb has taken extra steps to be more proactive about predicting and addressing operational and logistical issues that may prevent emails and physical mail from reaching their intended destination. These steps include sending random test correspondence (electronic and hard copy) to testers around the country and monitoring their delivery rates. We are also carefully monitoring email bounce rates and creating contingency plans that include phone calls or back up hardcopy mailings on an individual basis when electronic methods fail. In addition, we have formed a department whose sole purpose is to gather customer feedback from customers who cancel our service to understand what caused them to cancel and enact policies that will prevent dissatisfaction in areas that we can control to minimize the number of unhappy customers. On the sales side, we are looking at all the sales scripts that our resellers use to make sure that the expectations of our services are appropriately and consistently represented throughout all 3rd parties that represent ZipWeb. We understand that our service may not be the solution for all customers, but we also take very seriously the responsibility of doing all that we can to ensure that any decision to leave our service is purely based upon business logic, rather than dissatisfaction with the company, its policies or its people.
ANY BUSINESS THAT CAN ADMIT THEY MADE MISTAKES AND CORRECTS THOSE MISTAKES IS A BUSINESS YOU CAN TRUST AND WORTH DOING BUSINESS WITH
ZipWeb initially had some communication and logistical issues that made customers feel insecure about the company’s business practices. Many also felt that expectations of the potential of the company’s services were misrepresented. ZipWeb is now taking concrete measures to correct such errors and minimize the chance of them becoming a problem moving forward. Ultimately ZipWeb strives to be proactive and avoid all potential issues, so they are doing everything in their power to manage any and all issues before they arise.
Company executives also stated that over that last few months they have completely changed their telephone system for the customer service department in an effort to eliminate dropped calls or unusually long hold times.
Because of our investigation and the sincere efforts put forth by ZipWeb, Rip-off Report is confident in giving ZipWeb a positive rating. All in all, the company implemented strategic changes to its Customer Service Department and reached its goal of achieving total customer satisfaction through excellent service. This was made possible by a completely honest approach to corporate introspection and a commitment to taking good care of their customers.
ZipWeb executives understand that the only way to grow as a company is by first recognizing their weaknesses and then committing the resources necessary to fix the problems those weaknesses created. A ZipWeb executive stated, "We know that we have made mistakes, all businesses do, but I can assure you that we are 100% committed to resolving those issues and creating value for our clients. We’ve listened, taken all comments into account and implemented significant changes we believe will not only resolve existing issues, but also prevent issues in the future.”
In spite of all such situations, Rip-off Report is confident you have a company that is ready to serve those who need more assistance and is willing to make things right if they seem to have fallen apart.
Rip-off Report knows there is no company or individual that is perfect – ZipWeb knows this also and demonstrates their need for continuing improvement - that is why Rip-off Report comfortably states that you can be completely confident, safe and secure when doing business with them as a member of Rip-off Reports’ Corporate Advocacy, Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program.
RESULTS OF MAILING TO ALL THOSE WHO FILED A RIP-OFF REPORT
As a part of the Corporate Advocacy Program - Rip-off Report sent an email to every client who filed a Report on ZipWeb and I would now like to share the results with you.
As usual, whenever Rip-off Report sends out an email to all those who filed a Rip-off Report. the majority of clients stated that they appreciated our efforts and related how they had already been taken care of in a satisfactory manner. As usual, most customers asked if they could remove the Report they filed and we explained that unfortunately, it was not possible. It is Rip-off Report's philosophy that it is much more beneficial for the consumer to see how a company like ZipWeb takes care of their mistakes. No company is with out its share of problems, however, there are many companies who continually sweep those problems under the rug and never achieve the growth that other companies such as ZipWeb enjoys.
Rip-off Report feels ZipWeb has learned from all those who have complained... and they even seemed to be thankful for those who have brought problems to their attention.
ZipWeb shows leadership by joining the Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation and Customer Satisfaction Program.
Keep in mind, ZipWeb has worked with many clients over time. What really is amazing that despite Rip-off Report appearing at the top of most search engines right above ZipWeb, their complaint ratio is a fraction of a percent of their overall clients. Rip-off Report knows that this is significantly below the industry standard for the clientele that they work with. From our perspective, it is quite unusual for a company who has had so few complaints request on their own to be a part of the Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation and Customer Satisfaction Program. ZipWeb provides a leadership model for other companies that care about their clients to follow.
ABOUT THE CORPORATE ADVOCACY PROGRAM
While Rip- off Report does not endorse any company, including ZipWeb, overall, our research demonstrated to us that ZipWeb is a solid, reliable company that stands behind its service.
Many companies that contact Rip-off Report make claims that the Reports about them are false, were filed by the same person or even a competitor. Yes, Rip-off Report knows this can happen from time to time; however, we know this is not true most of the time. From federal to local law enforcement agencies, most use Rip-off Report regularly. When Rip-off Report works with law enforcement to assist consumers, never once have we heard from any agency that the Reports filed had bogus contact information. These agencies include FBI, FTC, SEC, Homeland Security, US Postal Inspectors, Justice Department, IRS, Federal Prosecutors and local law enforcement in the USA along with government agencies in more than eight other countries.
Rip-off Report does not solicit its Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program. Any participation in this program is completely voluntary and at the request of the program member.
This program requires the Member Business to agree to satisfy all complaints - past, present and in the future, even when those complaints come to us by e-mail.
The Member Business must also state improvements they are willing to make to their business which benefits the customer to avoid the reported problems from happening again in the future.
Anyone contacting the following e-mail address will get immediate attention. (within 3-5 business days, usually with in 24 to 48 hours) We ask that you contact ZipWeb Customer Service: specialhelp@zipweb.com
RIP-OFF REPORT CHARTING NEW TERRITORY
..Consumers should feel confident and secure when doing business with member businesses.
..Remember, just because a company or individual is reported on Rip-off Report does not mean you should not do business with them. Use Rip-off Report information as a tool to your advantage. Be knowledgeable about any company or person you hire. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions and get additional information until you feel comfortable in allowing them to work for you.
Be sure to contact us with your questions and comments about any business that is part of the Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation and Customer Satisfaction Program. Your questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome and will be considered even if we don't agree with them. Please realize RipOff Report is chartering in new territory, working to make a change for both consumers and businesses alike.
Consumers can feel confident and secure when doing business with ZipWeb.
Here's why.
ZipWeb made a commitment to and are a proud member of Rip-off Report Corporate Advocacy Business Remediation & Customer Satisfaction Program. A program that benefits the consumer, assures them of complete satisfaction and confidence when doing business with a member business ....
ED Magedson- Founder
Rip-off Report
EDitor@RipoffReport.com
www.ripoffreport.com
Rip-off Report
PO Box 310 - Tempe, Arizona U.S.A.
Why file a report here? Ripoff Report is a permanent record! Other complaint sites copy our content then remove reports for money.
