The smell of burning pants

John Ward

This article argues that too much of what passes for 'relationship marketing' is actually based on mistruths, and customer cynicism is growing as a result.

The smell of burning pants

John WardBusiness columnist

The other week my bank wrote me a letter. I've been a customer of this bank for nearly forty years, and for twenty of them have enjoyed the status of a 'Gold High Net Worth' client. The letter advised me that they wished to 'close three regional offices in order to streamline the service we bring to you'. It ended with the phrase 'this will enable us to be even more accessible to you'.

My reaction to the correspondence was to think 'don't make me laugh'.

Last year, Royal Mail stuck...

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