
VIP Treatment - jkopelman
http://redeye.firstround.com/2006/03/vip_treatment.html
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staunch
Sounds exactly like what I would expect from a VC and exactly the opposite of
what someone like Larry Page would do. I think my energy is better spent
fixing valid critiques and requesting a follow-up review once you have.

Better to build something that can stand up to the harshest of reviews than
run around spraying perfume on dung.

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danielha
Pretty funny anecdote, even if having a relative purchase the item is a bit on
the sketchy side. But I definitely understand having to show your business at
its best in crucial situations.

I wonder how one would analogize this to a social network-based website where
an influential blogger might be visiting to review. Would one populate the
place with a buzzing community? Script certain features to respond flawless to
expected invocations? It's much more manufactured (and wrong) in this case.

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domp
Why not just make your service good to every user instead of focusing on those
people you think you need to impress? I think that every user should have the
same great experience and not just a handful of hand-picked consumers. If you
have a good product I think that'll show through regardless. It seems like if
you feel that you need to do this that you probably find huge weaknesses in
your product.

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reitzensteinm
I agree in the sense that you don't want to try to upgrade a lousy experience
for the benefit of a few VIPs visiting the site by putting manual effort into
it (I think artifically speeding up the sale of their items is borderline in
this camp). But I don't think you'll ever get around the fact that sometimes
shit just happens when you least want it to, so there's absolutely nothing
wrong with ensuring that VIPs are getting the high quality of service that you
designed for your customers by manually reviewing their experience. Using the
same system that you're using to manually review a random sample of customers
to make sure they're getting the full experience.

Kind of like taking extra care when you've got a few grand in your wallet, but
you wouldn't be careless with it when you're broke.

