What makes you decide not to buy from a company, whether that is professional or WAHM?

I used to think that how I acted on-line did not matter and would not affect my business, however being on the other hand now (the customer), I've realized I was dead wrong. There are just so many companies that offer so close to the same things, it's easy to shop around and be selective with who you spend your money with. (although I suppose there are a few things that this doesn't apply to)

It's just a different road than a professional company, I think. I choose not to buy from pro companies for other reasons b/c it's not like I come in contact with the owners on a daily basis, right? LOL

Anyway, just curious. Do you let on-line issues affect who you buy from?

And for those companies you boycott that are professional, are they generally for political reasons or other?

IRL & on-line customer service is everything to me. I want helpful, friendly, decent people who will provide a quality product/service at a fair price with quick delivery.

I think the way one behaves on a message board affects my view of "helpful, friendly and decent". However, one can be the nicest person in the world on-line and still have poor products or slow delivery :)

Melinda

I don't boycott any store, I usually go where I can get the best prices on things, even if that means going to Walmart but then again *I* have never had customer service issues with Walmart.

Same with online stores, I usually will buy from whoever has the best prices and shipping costs or those I can find a coupon from. BUT....

I do tend to stay away from those people that either *I* have had a bad experience with or that many others have when it comes to online shopping, and also people that I see treating others horribly online, because I know that I would not want to deal with that kind of person. If there is something I need, I first think of all the awesome mamas here that I've done business with before or heard others rave about, and if there is any of them that I feel could help me with what I need and will go to them *first* and THEN look for outside sources if I need to.

I'd MUCH rather support a WAHM here then to go somewhere else, but sometimes it comes down to price and sometimes I have to go elsewhere but I try to come here first and half the time get a better product at a better price from the mamas here! :)

So yes I definately let online behavior effect where I shop, who I shop with first and foremost, with price following a close second as to my reasons for choosing to shop with someone.

~Jess

Quality, service and price. These are usually what I look for in the products.

Then if it is a WAHM, well, there are jsut some women I love, but I dont need anything they sell so I have not bought anything.

I have a few professional companies I purchase from and the biggest reason is that the customer service is good, and they can get my supplies to me lightening fast.
I feel like I know them becasue they spent time talking with me.
When I place orders, they know dreamseeds and they send emails with tracking #'s etc....

If I call them, they know dreamseeds. When I go to walmart, they do not know me even though I have shopped with them for many many years.

because they were super slow to awnser emails or simply didn't answer at all. I feel if they were not courteous enough to answer my questions then I don't want to risk buying. Sometimes I might even email first asking about a trade, intending to buy if that won't work, but if they don't bother to even answer that, I go else where. I know emails sometimes don't go through, so I allow for that too.

In both wahm and local stores, I go by customer service, price, quality and cleanliness etc... Values they support also figure in.

Aileen

I try to stick with companies that I think are more ethical while still getting the best deal for my money and the best customer service. I guess I want it all. I don't rule out pro companies just because they are big corps. Avon's Fortune 500, but they employ so many WAHMs and give lots of money for breast cancer research and the like. I consider that type of thing when choosing not only who to buy from, but what movies to see and stuff like that. Angelina Jolie, Sandra Bullock and others who give millions to the needy are in the flicks I'm going to pay to watch, instead of people who are just going to spend it on hundred thousand dollar watches and whatnot.
That being said, I don't really boycott, either. If I am in a pinch, or - I can't find something - like I needed Tread-safe shoes for my job and I couldn't find them anywhere, so I went to Wal-Mart. It's more of a preference than a boycott.
So, after ethics and stuff, I think product, customer service, speed of delivery, etc. and are all about equal.

I consider most (if not all) WAHM's to be professionals....so for my answer I'm going to re-word it to Big Businesses or Small Businesses/WAHMs

I try to buy from small businesses as much as possible. I do not always know the person behind the small business but if I happen to know about the small biz owner I am not likely to buy from them if what I know of them is negative.

I do buy from big businesses but only if I can't find what I'm looking for at a small business (I do look for competetive prices but am willing to pay slightly more to a small biz). I don't boycott any big biz but I do avoid certain ones based on their negative business practices/reputation.

So to sum it up...I prefer to shop at small biz but I use the same criteria to decide whether I want to buy an item at a big biz or small biz.