A Chronicle Of Online Bewilderedness

I am looking to download some software for my JVC camcorder and go to the Danish JVC site. A Web Site with usability resembling that of a door nailed shut! I look under downloads. Nothing there. I am referred to a Japanese JVC site. Nothing there.

Then I go back to the Danish site to write the company and ask them how to obtain the software. I click the "Contact JVC button" with a giant at-symbol on it. But the link takes me to a page with a JVC postal address, phone and fax number. No e-mail address, no contact form!

Now, first of all it's late Friday night. I very much doubt that JVC-employees will pick up the phone at this hour (it is not an 800-number). Secondly I really want to write them because I need the specific link for the download.

Then I try the American JVC site, thinking they might be able to help me. And indeed the Americans have had the ingenuity of setting up an actual form for customers to write them ;-) I type my question and send it. A couple of days later I get an answer:

"We regret to inform you that your unit is not a product manufactured for distribution and sale by JVC America, and, as such, we have no support functions or information regarding it [...] Your inquiry, therefore, might be best addressed by JVC UK.  You may contact that entity at: JVC (UK) LIMITED, JVC HOUSE, JVC Business Park, 12 Priestley Way, London NW2 7BA, United Kingdom, Telephone:  (0208)450-3282."

Again there is no e-mail-address - and when I go the British site, there is no way to write to them with my question either!

Wow... It puzzles me that a humongous international company like JVC cannot be contacted locally by e-mail. For any company nowadays (even a big one) putting a contact e-mail-address on your web site should be as obvious as writing your phone number.

Come on JVC. You can do better!

Technorati: JVC | Usability

Comments

[Trine-Maria]

Thank you for the story - I still don't understand why companies don't want to make it easy for their customers to interact with them? What if you had a good idea for them? Or what if you wanted to warn them of bad publicity on the internet :-)

I have just blogged your story in Danish - I find it amazing that big companies still don't get that their presence on the internet is important to potential customers.

[Henrik Harsbo]

Thanks for grabbing the story, Trine-Maria. I too am amazed at the lack of communcative insight from such a large company.

There is a slight misunderstanding in your blog, however. I was in fact able to e-mail JVC America. They just couldn't help me and gave me a postal adress to JVC in the UK.