Games Workshop, ensuring shareholders are happy while customer service worsens
The GW stores and staff are generally fantastic but avoid having any involvement with the Internet side. I have had months of issues with my warhammer account, and was told they needed ever more information about my previous purchases to resolve the issue. I went into my local store and one of the staff phoned a colleague in Nottingham (head office) and the issue was fixed. What was frustrating was that it was a simple fix and could have been completed with my first request. I then started to use my local independent store for my GW fix, but have had every order delivered late. After talking to the retailer, it has become obvious that GW treat their independant sellers as badly as they treat their Internet customers. I appreciate that they have share holders to keep happy, but they appear to have jumped up the dividends by reducing customer service on line. Although they still seem to make great models and have fantastic stores, the Internet side of the business is seriously failing (try to use the new Web site !!???!!!!??!). My suggestion would be to put the customer first, rather than the share holders. GW has experienced positive growth for years, largely due to strong products, customer service and committed hobbyists. However, as it appears that the accountants rather than the gamers are running the show, it now feels like a 'race to the bottom' to ensure that dividend payouts remain high.