Jay Mandel / Field notes on customer trust

The Switch List.

What I expected.
What I experienced.
What the evidence can support.

Small changes in price, access, service, or communication can change how an experience feels. These are seven moments from my own experience worth examining carefully.

Read the seven entries

A mismatch deserves a closer look.

“Switch List” is an editorial title, not a finding of bait-and-switch, illegality, or deliberate deception. A changed offer, an expectation mismatch, and a service failure are different things.

Evidence status: These are my firsthand accounts, not independently verified findings. Supporting records are not published on this page. Each entry states what happened in my account, the context that qualifies it, and a question worth checking. This is a work in progress, not a rating of any business’s current service.

The working list

Seven experiences.
Keep the distinctions visible.

Publishing

A pitch meets a process—and a paid option.

Expectation mismatch

What I expected: I pitched a marketing publication, looking for editorial consideration.
What I experienced: The automated reply explained the submission process and also pointed me toward optional sponsored opportunities.

Context & limitsUnpaid editorial submissions remained available. The paid option was not a requirement for editorial consideration.

The useful questionCould the reply separate editorial submissions and sponsored opportunities more clearly?

Internet & mobile

Unlimited, followed by a data warning.

Terms need context

What I expected: The plan was presented as unlimited.
What I experienced: I received a data warning and upgrade options.

Context & limitsI am not saying my service stopped. The warning alone does not establish that the plan’s terms were breached; the applicable terms and thresholds matter.

The useful questionWhat did “unlimited” cover, and was the reason for the warning clear before purchase?

Dining

Lunch on the sign. Holiday dinner on the bill.

Price corrected

What I expected: The restaurant displayed lunch pricing.
What I experienced: I was charged holiday dinner pricing instead. When I raised it, the manager honored the lower rate.

Context & limitsThe correction is part of the story. This account does not establish whether the mismatch was deliberate.

The useful questionCould the holiday price have been displayed clearly before ordering?

Cash-back apps

The savings got smaller. The nearby options did, too.

Value changed

What I expected: I used a cash-back app for savings at nearby participating stations.
What I experienced: The savings offered became smaller as nearby participating stations disappeared from the app.

Context & limitsOffers and participating locations can change. This account does not establish a guarantee of particular savings or permanent participation.

The useful questionHow clearly does the app communicate changes to the value people came for?

Radio

A familiar time slot, without the familiar voice.

Reason unknown

What I expected: I expected the DJs I associated with familiar radio slots.
What I experienced: Those slots aired automated music instead.

Context & limitsI do not know why the programming changed. This observation does not establish a staffing decision or a broken contractual promise.

The useful questionCould listeners be told what changed and what to expect?

Customer communication

Signed by the CEO. Answered through support.

Expectation mismatch

What I expected: A message signed by a CEO felt like a personal invitation to respond.
What I experienced: When I replied, the response went through support.

Context & limitsThere was no promise that the CEO would reply personally. Routing the response to support is not, by itself, evidence of deception.

The useful questionCould the message explain who will read and answer a reply?

Licensing services

Print from the app—if you can log in.

Service failure

What I expected: A fishing licensing service directed me to print my license from its app.
What I experienced: The login failed, preventing me from completing that step through the app.

Context & limitsThis describes a failed service path, not proof that a different product was substituted. The cause and eventual resolution are not established here.

The useful questionWhat usable alternative is available when the instructed route fails?

Leave room for the full story

The correction belongs
in the account, too.

The restaurant’s lower rate was honored. Unpaid editorial submissions remained available. The CEO had not promised a personal reply. Those details belong beside the initial impression.

Have context or a correction to an entry? Include the entry title and what you can substantiate.

Send context or a correction Explore the Trust Gap principles