Transmigrating As a Poor Fake Heiress with Trillions in Family Asset - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: After-Sales Crisis!

It wasn’t just the Chen Group’s appliances that sold out. By the tenth day of the festival, the Lin Group and several other participating companies had completely cleared their inventories.

The participating companies were in high spirits, celebrating a record-breaking end to the fiscal year. This success meant better data for their annual reports and significantly larger year-end bonuses for their employees.

Meanwhile, the companies that had hesitated were in a grim situation. Management faced questioning from their superiors, and employees grumbled behind closed doors.

“Plenty of people supported joining the festival, but the General Manager refused to budge. He insisted it would fail and waste our year’s efforts,” whispered one employee.

“Exactly. He’s too conservative, lacking the courage to innovate. We missed a massive opportunity,” replied another.

At MD, the local Chinese employees grew particularly resentful of their foreign leadership. The manager’s inaction had cost the company hundreds of millions in potential revenue. Just days ago, he was mocking the “reckless” CEOs of Chen and Lin; now, they were drowning in profits.

“Do you think Chen and Lin will be hiring after opening up this e-commerce market?” one worker mused, eyeing the exit.

When the MD General Manager learned of the internal unrest and the threat of mass resignations to his rivals, he was furious. However, he was soon disciplined by the high-level executives for his poor decision-making and for demoralizing the workforce. Bitter and shamed, he prayed for a disaster to strike Jing-Selection and the successful brands.

…

The Rural Installation Bottleneck

His “prayers” seemed to be answered three days after the festival ended. A major drawback surfaced: the after-sales service gap in remote areas.

In the countryside, finding certified installers was proving to be a nightmare. If installers had to be sent from the county seat or the city to distant villages, the wait times were astronomical.

Old Man Sun’s village, Yaoye Village, was hit hard. They had bought high-quality appliances at great prices, and two massive trucks had delivered the goods to the village square. But for products like washing machines and TVs, the installation technicians never showed up.

It turned out that the brand manufacturers hadn’t yet reached an agreement with the local repairmen in many rural townships. While brands have many outlets in cities, their rural after-sales service is often outsourced to local independent technicians on a commission basis. In Yaoye Village, the local technician, Li Tan, had refused to sign the contract.

The news spread quickly when a villager complained online. Critics, eager to see Sang Jing fail, jumped on the story. The hashtag #JingSelectionApplianceNegativeReviews# trended on Weibo.

“I thought Jing-Selection was invincible, but they finally crashed. This is what happens when ambition exceeds control,” mocked one hater. “Those poor farmers are the real victims. They spent a year’s wages on appliances they can’t even use,” another lamented.

Sang Jing’s loyal fans immediately counterattacked: “Jing-Selection is just the platform, like a mall. After-sales is the brand’s responsibility. If you buy a fridge at a mall and no one installs it, you call the brand, not the mall’s front desk!” “The haters are writing fiction again. President Sang hasn’t even responded yet, but you’ve already staged a whole play!”

…

The Solution

Sang Jing, monitoring the situation, posted a comforting message to her fans:

@SangJing: Everyone, focus on your work and enjoy your lives. Don’t waste time arguing with irrelevant people. The company will handle this.

She then contacted the heads of the Chen Group, whose appliances were at the center of the Yaoye Village controversy. The manager explained, “The local technician there, Li Tan, is very conservative and timid. He’s afraid of the online payment and auditing system. He’s used to being paid in cash on the spot and doesn’t trust a digital contract.”

Coincidentally, another long-time customer of Jing-Selection—Zhang Meng, the man Sang Jing had once helped with a fruit order—saw the news. He realized Yaoye Village was his hometown! He immediately called his old middle school classmate, Li Tan.

“Li, why haven’t you signed that contract?” Zhang Meng asked.

“It’s too risky,” Li Tan replied. “Usually, I fix something and get cash. This new system requires ‘audits’ before they transfer money. What if they don’t pay? It’s almost Chinese New Year; I can’t afford a headache like that.”

Zhang Meng laughed. “You just don’t trust the big brands. Look, I buy from this site all the time. Their technicians in the city are swamped with work and making more money than ever. Plus, because people are buying new appliances, they get extra referral fees for connecting people with old-appliance recyclers!”

He then delivered the final blow: “If you don’t take this agency spot, the brand will just find someone else. When everyone in the village has appliances covered by a brand’s free warranty service, they won’t call you for repairs anymore. You’re not just losing a bonus; you’re losing your future business.”

Li Tan turned pale. He hadn’t considered that. If he refused, a competitor would move into his territory with the backing of a major brand.

The next day, Assistant Zuo Wei brought good news to Sang Jing: “President Sang, the problem is solved! The best technician in that township has finally signed the after-sales contract with the brands.”

When fans discovered that the breakthrough happened because of a fellow loyal fan’s persuasion, the mood on Weibo shifted to one of celebration and mutual support.

“Daily worrying about President Sang’s career… lights a cigarette,” joked a fan. “I feel like I deserve company shares at this point. Please arrange it!” another commented.

Seeing the devotion of her followers, Sang Jing smiled. “If they say fans are like their idols,” she thought, “then my fans are truly the best.”

“Let’s do a massive giveaway for the fans!” she instructed.