Trust is everything in a partnership. But sometimes you can find the best partners in an unlikely situation. My story starts with deceit but ends with an alliance that is mutually beneficial.
Let me tell you about the strangest start to a business partnership that you would have ever heard. My business was used to further the new delivering app, Jeench, behind my back. It all starts with when my reviews tanked.
Bad Reviews
I was just conducting my business as usual, but I started to get customer complaints. Customers would come in upset that they were not receiving my products after ordering them. These customers were ordering furniture on the app Jeench. I had never heard of Jeech, so obviously they were not being fulfilled. The worst part was that many of my customers were upset with me for their unfulfilled orders. This was the first I had heard of this, but it just continued and more customers kept coming in with complaints. This app does not even have drivers in my town, which must be why people were complaining so much. When the complaints got to be too much I finally knew I had to do something about it.
I downloaded the app and saw my products being sold on Jeench and that I was listed as a seller. My first thought was “I did not approve this and who is this company to be taking my products to further their business.” I was furious and rightfully so. I was losing customers because Jeench listed Larrabee’s Furniture and Design, which is my business, on their app without my permission. Once again, I didn’t even know the app existed and it was costing me business.
Now I run a very small, local shop which means sometimes business is hard to come by. These customer complaints were about how unprofessional I was for not knowing my business was on Jeench. When customers are now choosing not to shop at my business because of my unprofessionalism, Jeench has cost me returning customers and money that I could have been making.
Controversy
Now, what Jeench did is not technically illegal, but it is unprofessional and takes advantage of the unspoken rules between businesses. They took my business information off of Yelp and Google and posted it as a business that was selling on their app. I did not choose to sell with Jeench but the company did pique my interest.
Jeench is more than a delivery service app. It is an app better than Postmates. Jeench is an in-app marketplace for local businesses to sell products and services. They sell anything and everything on this app. Products from small businesses to huge corporations. Jeench will have one of their delivery drivers pick up the product and deliver it to the customer’s house. If it is a service, Jeench drivers will pick the customer up for their appointment. The businesses can even manage employees in their stores
I own a small, local business, and sometimes getting returning customers is difficult and if I used their app I would be on another platform. This helps bring more awareness to my business, which then brings in more customers. The app could be so helpful because then I can advertise that my business does delivery. The only thing that worries me is how do I trust a company that already betrayed me?
Trust
The app may have done this behind my back, but I understand the difficulty of being a startup business. If Jeench had come to me in the first place, I would have jumped at the idea to have Larrabee’s Furniture and Design on their app. Getting new business as a smaller company is difficult and many of us owners would try anything, even what Jeench did. I choose to trust them because I was there at a point with my business and I understand how difficult it can be to build a clientele, especially when in a very competitive market.
Honestly, I am pretty flattered that they think my business is popular enough to be on their app, especially in the startup phases. Since Jeench also provides delivery for some bigger names, like Home Depot, it was kind of cool to see that my small furniture shop can be on the app and get the same treatment as a big name.
New Partnership
Now even though Jeench put my business on their app without my knowledge, it is a really useful app for sellers and buyers. It is an app where you can buy local, small business products without the hassle of going there yourself. For my small business, it is a great way to access a new client base. On top of that, Jeench charges only 2% commission on any sale and a processing fee. The app can help me in so many ways such as providing a better experience for customers and even bringing more awareness to my shop.
Since many customers have already come into my shop asking about the app, I have already developed a wider range of customers thanks to Jeench. It also provides my customers with another platform to buy my products on. Jeench will help provide my customers with a delivery experience, so they can get their favorite products from my business straight to their door or pick it up themselves. The app also brings me customers with its augmented reality feature, which is free to me. Honestly, the app is really cool and even though I was hesitant at first, I think I will be using it for my business.
Another helpful part of Jeench is that it provides more jobs for the workforce. You can sign up and do delivery or the service feature for the app. Overall it connects buyers, sellers and Jeench delivery employees in an easy app. My customers can now find other local businesses in the area as well. It is just a great app to bring more business to local businesses.
After all the drama, Jeench has turned out to be a very successful partnership for my business. Other businesses should also consider joining and selling their products and services on Jeench. People also looking for a job might find an easy flexible job doing delivery, providing services or even working for a local store. Customers should definitely check out the app and see what Jeench has to offer with its fast and accessible app.