“Probably your worst service ever”
How and why your good/bad feedback is always welcome
I received an email from a member recently…
And it’s fair to say that it wasn’t 100% complimentary about one particular service.
But that’s fine.
Members of a service are well within their rights to make comment (good or bad) about the information they receive, and I’m more than happy to get feedback whether it’s sent hot-on-the-heels of a nice winner… or lands within minutes of a bet going due South.
[My email by the way – matthew@matthewwalton.co.uk]
Betting, after all, is about real money. Hard cash. And that doesn’t grow on trees. So I totally understand the emotional response that comes with success… or failure.
And for the past 30 years (my word!) that I’ve worked in this business, I appreciate this comes with the territory.
So when this email arrived, one Thursday morning, at the start of the month, and the words you see above were all that was written (short and sweet, if nothing else) I replied to the member in question – “Eddie” – with the following reply…
So what happened next?
Well, 3 of the bets 4 bets won. And a couple more since…
And as the month of January draws to a close the overall figures read…
25 bets | 11 winners | 44% strike rate | 22.32% ROI
I’m sure you’ll agree, a pretty good level of performance. A solid strike rate, and an impressive ROI of more than 20%.
What’s the moral of the story?
I’ve used this example, taken from a live (profitable) service, with active members on it right now, because it’s a story that I’m sure you can relate to.
You’ve joined a service…
Any service…
Could be one that I’ve offered to you, or another service from the myriad of offers that no doubt fall into your Inbox every week!
But you’re a new member…
You’re full of hope and expectation that good things are going to follow, and that money will rain down on you from a great height…
… but the bets don’t live up to your expectation.
Whether that’s compared to the previous performance of the service in question, or what you, as a new paying member, might have “reasonably” expected.
(I’ve put “reasonably” in quotes, because sometimes, let’s be honest, our hopes for a service – and I’m guilty of this too, I might add – can go a little beyond what’s actually achievable).
And like “Eddie” you either feel like saying something, but don’t.
Or you actually do, physically, get in touch with the service in question, and in whatever form this contact takes (constructive, argumentative, downright abusive – I get this, not often, but sometimes).
Whichever one it might be…
Let me point of five things that can be taken from this episode.
(1) No reputable service does, or should, set out to provide you with poor quality bets, or what the marketeers would call a bad “customer experience”. Why? Because it’s far harder (and more time-consuming and expensive) to recruit a new member than it is keep an existing one.
No disappointing set of results, or failure to address your comments, and deal with your concerns, should be intentional on the part of the service provider.
(2) In this particular instance, it’s debatable, and I did raise the point in my reply, as to whether these bets were (a) bad in themselves or (b) constituted the description as the “worst service ever”. It was after all a small sample size of bets, many of which had run a fair race (10 of 14 finishing 1st or 2nd), and overall they were showing a cash profit.
Your comments, which are always welcome, should reflect the actual results. Remember it’s “just the facts ma’am” as Joe Friday used to say.
(3) When it comes to betting, just like life in general, none of us know precisely what’s around the corner. So given this fact it’s always better to make judgements, and base our decisions, on as much information as possible. Because drawing any conclusion from a handful of bets (especially at the start of a membership) can be hugely misleading about the quality of the service as a whole.
Base your overall assessment of a service on just that, the “overall” output, not a snapshot of a month or two.
(4) A natural run-on from this point is that betting is not a get-rich-quick-scheme. It never should be seen as such, nor sold in this way. By the application of expert knowledge, added to a degree of patience and discipline, it is a way of enjoying and profiting from our shared love and pursuit of sport.
For the impulsive, impatient or irrational backer, it is extremely hard to make betting pay.
(5) Despite all this, and to return to what I said at the start, you should feel free to comment at any time – you’re a customer, it’s your right to ask a legitimate question of the service provider.
Any service worth their salt will deal with your comments (however they’re phrased!) in a professional manner.
How this service progresses in the future remains to be seen.
But what I do know is that whoever joins will be receiving bets from a tried-and-tested, professional source of information. Someone who has worked “in the industry” for many years (whose name you might well know), who I have personally vetted over the past 12 months, and win or lose will offer the best advice they can.
And if you join, and aren’t happy (for any reason)… just drop me a line!
OPINION: We’re all capable of flying off the handle, on occasion. Or otherwise, feeling the need to complain when something, quite reasonably, isn’t as we think it should be. But what’s worth remembering is that when it comes to betting, things can change very quickly. And like all things in life, we should try to take a balanced view – never certain what might be coming next. As a few winners can quickly turn the worst service ever… into something well worth looking at.
