March 8, 2007
We are all familiar with the phrase “the customer is always right.” We might remind our local car dealer of this point while shopping for the new family mini-van. It might even be used as a rebuttal to the Best Buy sales agent, as she tries to add warranties and service features to our television purchase. However, in some industries we tend to take the consumer for granted and assume he/she will always put up with the status quo. Government has been dictating tax procedure since the inception of the federal income tax. Unfortunately those days are over; as newer and newer technologies are introduced consumers demand every aspect of their lives change too. Municipalities are one of the likely targets of backlash.
Moreover, as the internet and blogs become more relevant consumer complaints are being heard in a manner never before experienced, and the glare is being felt by those unused to the attention. This can be scary for those in charge. Recently residents in Enid Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City, staged a mini revolt against the city’s municipal water utility. The complaints revolved around the cities estimated water bills. The issue arose after water bills were estimated during winter months when meters could not be read due to ice. As a result of the public outrage, the city manager agreed to invest in new automatic meter reading software.
Every business has felt the effects of the internet as a new medium of payment. Websites like EBay and Ameritrade have put consumers at ease about trading currency on the web. As little as 5-10 years ago writing a check was common place in our daily lives. Today consumers are buying everything from groceries to cars with credit cards, moreover they are purchasing online. This change has created a demand in sectors that aren’t used to keeping up with trends. Utility users demand that they be able to pay bills online and so changes are made. At the end of the day they want all aspects of their lives to become more convenient and cohesive. Whether cities are ready for it or not, customers want change and the customer is always right.
