A couple of days ago, Ilana opened the wooden Animal Croquet set my sister sent for Christmas.
Unfortunately, some of the stands were missing. What to do? I contact the company that made it-- Anatex. I sent them an e-mail and told them what we found. I asked if we could get some replacement stands so the animals could once again stand up. They replied they would be happy to send me some. I would have been happy to pay a small fee but instead they are just shipping them off to me.
THAT is customer service.
It reminded me of a couple of other great experiences I have had.
Ilana received a Green Toys tea set for her second birthday. It is a wonderful little tea set made from recycled milk jugs and eco-friendly materials.
She LOVES it!
She loves it so much she decided to have a tea party with Ginger (our vizsla). She made Ginger a cup of tea and lovingly presented it to her on the plate with a spoon.
Guess what? Ginger loved it to. She promptly decided the spoon was her new toy and chewed it up. *Sigh* So I contacted Green Toys and asked them about getting a replacement. Again, I would have been happy to pay them. They said they would be happy to send her a new spoon. When the package arrived a few days later, I found not only a spoon but two more complete place settings so Ilana could have a bigger tea party. I also found a hand written note wishing Ilana many wonderful tea parties.
THAT is customer service!!!
A number of years ago someone gave me a Dress Me Up David Magnet set. It was the statue of David with various outfits you could put on him. I bet you remember them. It was made by a company called Caryco Magnets which I believe no longer exists.
When we opened the package, we realized David's t-shirt wasn't adhesed well to the magnet. So I contacted Caryco. I let them know that while David has GREAT abs, sometimes he needs to go out and many places have a no-shirt, no-service policy. I asked if it was possible to get a replacement shirt since his wasn't wearable. They said of course. They sent me an entire new set (including another David). No fuss. No muss.
Again, THAT is customer service.
I truly think it helps that when I contact companies, I do it with kindness and a sense of humor. I don't approach them with a feeling of "you owe me this" but "could you please help me?" Just as consumers don't enjoy crappy service, companies don't enjoy jerky consumers.
Sometimes all you need to do is ask. Open the door and maybe you, too, will experience GOOD customer service when something goes wrong.
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5 comments:
You've got this right - it is about having a good attitude - from both parties. This is why so many iPhone users are thrilled with instant replacements when they go in with problems. And of course, Apple can "refurbish" those problems and resell them.
Like you, I keep my expectations low and enjoy the friendly surprises of great customer service. :)
Erin says:
Do you remember when we wrote that letter to Jelly Belly telling them about your bean tasting party and made all the letters in the pattern of their jelly bean flavors? They sent you a TON of stuff, yes? Not exactly the same situation-- but always nice to know there is a real person on the other end appreciating your efforts!
Of course I remember. It began "Dear Jelly Belly People". Again, a lovely example of how showing some kindness and appreciation for others can benefit all. I think of that every time I see Jelly Belly's.
Hi there!
Out of curiosity, did you call Caryco recently? They have been out of business for quite some time I thought.
I'm also a big fan of the David and Venus magnet sets and am always wondering what other magnets are in the David set.
Anne-- As far as I can tell, Caryco is no longer around. Makes me sad-- I loved that magnets too. So much creativity and such great customer service!
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