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Timmy Elsewhere

At the Business.

Why the record industry is screwed (hint, advice on how to recognise priate CDs….they\’re better than the real ones) and a tip on how to get decent customer services.

5 thoughts on “Timmy Elsewhere”

  1. You forgot to point out that pirate CDs will play in computer CD-ROMs and in-car CD players flawlessly. Also they won’t attempt to install very nasty software on your PC.

    You can tell which are the official “borked” disks because they don’t carry the CD logo (Philips own the trademark and deny its use to anyone making discs outside the specifications). Pirate CDs are real CDs and carry the logo (no doubt they never paid Philips its royalty, but, well, at least they work).

  2. Strange the way HSBC is this wonderful customer service bank in Hong Kong, where it’s the market leader by an enormous margin, owns the #2 retail bank, and makes up over half the total retail banking market.

    In the UK, with a highly competitive retail banking market, its service is just as bad as any of the others. So I’m not sure the example supports the principle (even though the principle is pretty reasonable in a lot of cases…)

  3. “In the UK, with a highly competitive retail banking market, its service is just as bad as any of the others. So I’m not sure the example supports the principle”

    In the UK, it’s the old Midland Bank. The miserable old Mainwaring types haven’t all died off yet. In any case, I’m sure there are cultural issues in the toleration of poor customer service. Despite their reputation, Americans are also poor at complaining about rubbish service.

  4. “In any case, I’m sure there are cultural issues in the toleration of poor customer service.”

    I’m sure you’re right, and I’m sure this has more bearing on customer service in HK than anything to do with competition per se.

    (HSBC are also bloody awful in India; this probably is because the competition is so dire that ‘bloody awful’ marks HSBC out as one of the best…)

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