Online buying is faceless in comparison and so, when something goes wrong, negative emotions kick in because there were no positive ones in the first place. However, Atherton doesn't believe that coping with Internet business is more difficult than mail order. There can be a problem with high expectations though. Half our customers realise that behind the Web site there's a bricks and mortar company, while half have bought into the novelty of Internet shopping. These people have retail-style expectations and don't know that the Web is just another channel.
Some people send E-mails at night and expect a reply straight away.
Another problem is that the larger the company, the more of a target it is for complaints, says Atherton. Our online business is growing faster than offline. Over a quarter of our business is now through the site. The companies that are making money are the IT companies because naturally the people who know most about the Web are going to be people who buy IT gear. It can be only around one per cent.