Bad service is so common that good service actually catches us by surprise. Case in point–this Monday night, I went online to buy some tennis shoes. I knew the brand, size and model number, so this was clearly a commodity purchase and thus I started with no retailer preference. Googling the brand and model, I quickly determined that there wasn’t much of a price variance, in fact all the retailers listed carried the model within $3 of $69.95 (I know, not cheap but these shoes hold up well on the tennis and paddle courts). Ultimately I selected Zappos because they offered free shipping and I knew they were a legitimate operation. By 9pm Eastern Standard Time I had place my order, expecting delivery any time in the next three weeks (it was free shipping after all). Zappos confirmed my order via email in a matter of minutes and followed up with an email shortly thereafter that they had shipped my shoes. I didn’t really pay attention to the details of the shipping email and you can imagine my surprise when my shoes arrived the next day.
Amazed by this unexpected service, I told several friends about it. What surprised me is that each of them had their own “best service” story and of course, their worst service story. Since the Internet is so famous for tales of woe, I thought it might be interesting to collect some positive stories. The best story of best service (particularly online) will receive a suitable prize, perhaps a customized latte at the “new” Starbucks. In the meantime, save your worst service story for another contest to follow.
Nike has finally cut through to me. I haven’t been able to relate to their products since I was in middle school, either because they weren’t comfortable or just didn’t aesthetically appeal to my lifestyle. This past holiday, I received the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, a Nike/Apple running product that syncs a censor in your shoe to your iPod, so as you run, distance/pace information is spoken through the iPod.
As if the product alone isn’t already amazing enough, when you plug your iPod into a computer, it directs you to a Nike-branded online interface where you can see visual intensity graphs of your runs, set goals for future runs, and challenge your friends or community of other runners who are using the product. I haven’t stopped telling my friends about how great this service is and why they should buy the product (to invite them to an online running challenge, of course!). The best part is the site is an entirely free service that Nike offers to the product owners.
This great service doesn’t mean I’m going to start buying all kinds of Nike products I didn’t buy before, but because Nike has made a connection with me it’s really hard to ignore their brand.
This is a great-service-to-make-up-for-terrible-service story.
I had ordered Valentine’s Day roses to be delivered to my pregnant wife’s office. They didn’t make it. (However, one of her vendors had sent flowers, so all day people were praising me — she had to say “nope, Jason didn’t send these” time after time).
I called FTD, understandably furious. They were not taking calls on Valentine’s Day, I was told. I used their online comment form. A few days later, I had an email back saying they would refund 20%. (My roses arrived half-dead, sans water tubes, on the 15th. This offer was offensive.)
I found the CEO’s email address and fired off a second angry note. (Here’s where the good customer service kicks in.) The next day, I got a call back from someone in customer care profusely apologizing. My order was immediately refunded in full. They begged for my wife’s number, so they could apologize to her, too. (I declined.) Will I ever use FTD again? Probably not. But had they not been so apologetic, I’d have saved this comment for the “worst customer service” entry, which you know will be 38 times as popular.
Instead, I’ll bash Sprint.
Here’s my two cents…one recent and one old. I ordered my face stuff from Sephora.com on Monday night (Monday was a holiday no less) and received the purchase on Wednesday morning. I hadn’t even paid for shipping! And I got free samples. I will order again from Sephora without question.
The old story…we bought a couch from Room and Board a couple of years ago. Rumor has it that the sales people are not commissioned bases. Needless to say, buying a couch ( a big purchase ticket) is very stressful. I went to the store several times before dragging John there for the final decision. Once we were ready, the sales fellow was more than pleasant. And here’s the kicker…he called me a week after the couch had been delivered to see if I liked it! Would I recommend Room and Board to a friend? Absolutely.
Two stories…one recent and one old. I ordered my face stuff from Sephora.com this past Presidents Day. I received the order on Wednesday morning. I hadn’t even paid for shipping! And I received several free samples. They’ll definitely get my business again.
The old story…we bought a couch from Room and Board several years ago. Rumor has it that the sales people are not commissioned based. Buying a couch (a big purchase ticket) is very stressful. I went to the store several times before dragging my better half there for the final decision. Once we were ready, the sales fellow was more than pleasant. And here’s the kicker…he called me a week after the couch had been delivered to see if I liked it! Would I recommend Room and Board to a friend? Absolutely.