Google search callers

[Sheldonrs]

Not really a huge suck but it sure brings in a lot of calls.

Whenever you search Google for someplace that you can donate your used furniture, our organization pops up at the top of the list. This happens when you use the words "donate" and/or "charity".
We get about 10-15 calls per day from people wanting us to pick up their furniture.
Most understand when I explain that we don't take furniture donations.

One caller got pissed and told me we need to change our web site because it says we do. I told him our site does not say that, but Google searches will bring our name up. He insisted it was our site and hung up.

We are not Google and Google is not us.

[CaptainThrifty]

I feel your pain. I get donors pissed off all the time when I tell them we can't take this or that for whatever reason. The worse are those things which are proscribed by law and they act as if we've made a choice in the matter.

Me: I'm sorry, sir, but only licensed refurbishers are allowed to take used mattresses by law.
SC: So you don't want it, then? *in a pissy tone*
Me: The law won't let me take it sir
SC: Fine if you don't want that then you can't have anything. I'll just take it all to the dump.

[RxBoy]

Oh but we're forgetting that laws don't matter when it comes to doing what a customer wants. It doesn't matter that it's illegal or even if you tell them that doing what they want will get you charged with a federal crime. If you won't do it it's because you don't care about good customer service. I get it every day in the pharmacy.

[Mnemjian]

That must be so annoying. I'm guessing he was thinking "donate + charity" = "trash + pickup"

[EricKei]

We have this sort of call all the time (a light day is ten calls), from people looking for [softwarename we support] + either "phone number" or "tech support" or "help"....etc. The thing is, the people who MAKE the software are ALWAYS ranked above us, normally due to their paid ads.. We just have our headers show up so that our # is in the search title.

Is it our fault that we have better SEO than the people who make the damn software?! (granted, we've been around longer than they have, but still)

We've even gotten a couple people this week who insist that we are claiming that we ARE the manufacturer...To which I can only say "really"? How about you CLICK ON THE DAMN LINK and see a page that, a, looks NOTHING like the manufacturer's page, and b, links directly to their primary competitor in the header! (we support said competitor's software, too)

[jjllbb]

I feel your pain.

Somewhere out on the internet my store and another store are listed as the same phone number somehow.

We get tons of calls for the other store and have their real phone number to give out.

[MoonCat]

Google can be weird. I was looking for a check-cashing service a couple years ago when I was having bank troubles. My search turned up the name of a local jewelry store. I thought that was odd so I called them to ask what the deal was. They said they don't have that service and they knew it was coming up on the search, they hadn't been able to get it changed and they were pretty ticked off about it (not at me though).