Marketing and all things related

The best laid marketing plans can be destroyed with the smallest customer service mistakes.  The power of the internet continues to grow and that means customer service issues are publicized for the world to see and learn from.

Antonio Cangiano's recent negative experience at his local Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) provides a perfect example of the backlash companies feel when poor customer service situations become top stories in the blogosphere and beyond.  Even Consumerist.com published a post about Antonio's nightmare of trying to return merchandise at Best Buy whose return policy is unclear and apparently full of loopholes. 

Return policies are a prime source of customer complaints lately.  Stores like Target (NYSE: TGT) and Toys 'R Us are not shy about their new return policies that leave much to be desired from the customer's point-of-view and have many customers (like me) shopping at competitors' stores.

Will retailers see the light and revamp their return policies and customer service?  You'd think customer service would be a top priority, but sadly, it falls to the wayside these days.  Great customer service is not the norm anymore, but it does make a great differentiator and keeps customers coming back.

What do you think?  Read Antonio's story here.  Do you think Best Buy could handle this situation better?  Do you think they'll react differently now that Antonio's story is crossing the web?