Communication is Trust

While tracking down a promising family Christmas gift, I discovered an e-commerce site that ranks up there with the TV series LOST as a model of clear, accessible communication. Trying to read product descriptions at www.xsv360.com is like driving through a rainstorm without using your windshield wipers.

Nothing is clear. Everything is murky. And you know you don't want to be there any longer.

This site fails on many counts.  It sells a wide range of products, but don't try to learn anything about the company; when you click on "About Us," the page is blank. "Contact Us" brings up an email template that doesn't identify anything about the company, its owners or its location.

For your reading pleasure, here's a graphic depicting their "sales copy" for one product - a handheld video camera.

When you first read a product description like "4GB HD mini-dv mini Video camera Smallest wireless voice recorders," you may think maybe it does make sense - you're the one with the problem. But then you read sentences like "With a PC camera function, easy to enjoy the network life can be when the computer camera," and you realize that this is a company that doesn't care how it communicates with its customers.

Shoddy work like this drives customers away. If no one in your firm can write comprehensible English, I sure don't want to have to deal with you in case of product questions or refunds. I'll click somewhere else, thanks.

But wait! Before you go, don't forget to check out the site's Deal of the Day.