OT: Examples of Great Customer/Product Satisfaction/Service
Thought this would be a good, optimistic, cheery, non-downer, our-corners-need-wings-because-they-weigh-more-than-a-fridge post:
My example is Apple. Far from a fanboy, I picked up an iBook G4 as my "college computer" in 2003ish. It had the serial logic board issues that were a serial headache. Apple agreed to repair it while in warranty and then basically has repaired it once to twice since out of warranty (including five years after purchased, which would be 2+ years outside of AppleCare if I even had it, can't remember). Upgraded to the Macbook three years ago and after a series of non-major issues (molding dents, screen issues, logic board, etc.) that had me send it in 5-7 times, I finally got to a point where it wouldn't charge. Mailed it in, they repaired and sent it back, problem resumed 3 days later. With one month left on my AppleCare extended warranty, the store basically decided I deserved a brand new laptop - and not just a model with the same specs but their equivalent "tiered" model of today. Double the RAM, 250 GB HD, etc. Got it today after a week of waiting.
Does anyone have a story of good service and/or company policy that sold you on a product/place "for life" (or the like)?
I went to Circuit City and bought a lap top. I got home and the thing would not turn on. I called the company, and they told me to take it back to Circuit City. I took it back and they looked at it and told me to call the company. I told them I already did, but they said its not a problem they can deal with. So then I wanted to just return the lap top and go somewhere else but they would only offer store credit. So I decided to call Geek Aquad who not only figured out the problem, but told me that is was a lap top Best buy had pulled because of a manufacturing problem, and Circuit City was still selling them!!!!!
Oh but I got a MacBookpro for college and it came the day after I ordered it online. Thats pretty good service if you ask me.
Circuit City is no longer with us for a number of very good reasons.
Don't get me started on geek squad. They offered to install a slot of RAM I bought from Best Buy for $75. To install RAM on a laptop is a 5 minute job, if that. Only a moron would pay geek squad to install memory for them. I am not surprised that best buy will overcharge for service. This is the same company that charges $50 for HDMI cables.
is a joke... a couple of years ago i was using my wives old laptop and the pin in slot where the AC adapter plugs in broke and got pushed into the computer... a couple of days after that we were at best buy and decided to ask the geeks what it would cost to get the computer fixed... the kid looked at us and said around $500 because they would have to replace the mother board, we said thanks and walked away... on our way home we stopped at the "mom and pop" computer shop down the street from our apartment and asked what it would cost to get it fixed there, the guy told us $100 and that the mother board didn't need to be replaced...
i was using my wives old laptop
How many you got?
Apple repair timelines. Call on Monday. Box for shipping is on doorstep Tuesday morning. FedEx takes it Tuesday at noon. Computer is returned, fully repaired, Wednesday at noon'ish.
Another thing to note: While they did not repair whatever bizarre part was causing this last problem, they did replace: the screen (because it was dull but I never complained to a clerk or them, etc.), the fan, the casing and one other item. Their repair teams will inspect the whole product before doing a repair and do 2-3 extra fixes "just because."
Geaux it sounds like they really helped you over time, and stood behind their laptop. But in the end wouldn't it have been better if the thing worked out of the box and you werent sending it to them on a number of occasions? If I had to send my laptop in once, I would have had a fit, much less numerous times. Somehow Apple has brainwashed you into reporting your nightmare as a good experience, this is confusing to me...
Aug
were quite common. nature of the beat (aka my work/studies) means my laptop is on 24-7. certain issues just happen. the ease and success of the computer 95% of the time was worth the occasional covered issues for sure. consider, if you will, your cell phone cracking on the side. your cell provider would charge you $50 for the repair in addition to the monthly fee, etc. this is the nature of technology. most people i know have a fourth of the issues i have had - the fact Apple is apologetic to the extent of covering it continuously, even out of warranty, is a hell of a lot better than any other company i've encountered across the board.
I have high-end laptops for work and they are on 24/7 and used pretty intensely working for media-oriented tech/mobile start-ups in San Fran. I have been at my current job for a little over 2 years years and have had two laptops in that time. The first performed admirably for a little over 1.5 years before I needed an upgrade for performance reasons and am now onto my second laptop and have never sent it in once. The second is an HP that I definitely put through the ringer on a regular basis; travel, high temperatures, commuting back ond forth on a bike or train every day, was working in a cabin in yosemite a few weeks back and then biking down to get internet in the a.m. to sync out.
Any laptop i had to send back 7 times would be unusable to me, even though turnaround is quick, not having access to to it that many days would leave me all but useless at work, at least moreso than i am now ;)
Frankly, you should have received a new laptop waaaaay earlier and getting the equivalent tier is pretty standard as they wouldn't likely have any stock/inventory of the older generation product to replace it with.
Bought a kegging system from them with a cheaper regulator. I accidentally dropped it when filling up a keg causing one of gauges to dent. I replaced it the bad part but it still wasn't working properly so I went in to the store to have them take a look at it and possibly purchase another.
The guy asked me if I bought it from them and then just handed me a new, better made, regulator off the shelf and said it was on the house. I purchase all of me equipment/ ingredients now from them.
which home brew place ?
Adventures in Homebrewing. It's on Van Born at Telegraph. one block north of 94.
or
In 2008, I paid for season tickets and watched a gangly, slow footed, mediocre armed QB named Steven Threat play QB for Michigan. Following very frustrating results, the UM program replaced that QB with two "significant upgrades" in Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson. The overall efficiency of the UM product improved in 2009. In 2010, UM brings a "Two-Headed Monster" to me for my viewing pleasure...all in pursuit of being the "Leaders and Best."
They're working on a next-gen version that aims to combine the best of both of the 2009 QBs. While it probably wont be ready for testing in 2010, look for it to burst onto the scene in the future.
If you're going to go the expensive sunglass route and are seeking anything polarized, go with Costa Del Mar. I own a pair of Oakley's and Costa's and Costa's blow them out of the water as far as quality and customer service goes. They have a lifetime warranty and if anything goes wrong with them -- i.e.: broken, bent, etc., they will fix them and if they can't fix them, they will send you a new pair at no charge.
Believe it or not, I have a story of good service from the city of Ann Arbor. My recycling wasn't picked up one day so I called the office to let them know. Not even 30 minutes later they had the truck at my house to get the recycling picked up.
Everytime I walk into a CVS there's a long line and only one slow, lazy checker working. Betwene asking for people's CVS cards and then printing off that long ass receipt, it takes forever to get through the line.
Walgreens, on the other hand, always has more checkers than customers, so it's really fast.
episode; I believe in fate, so I will tell my tale here. I have a 50" Pioneer plasma t.v. that broke; the wife and I were getting a snack and had a dvd paused when we hear a popping sound. We then notice the t.v. picture is suddenly white with a black horizontal band across it. Upon further inspection, a small crack was seen on the display. We set up an appointment for one of their technicians to come out and fix it, but when he gets here he takes a look at the crack and basically accuses us of throwing something at the t.v.. He said it was accidental damage and that Pioneer says it is impossible for something internal to cause this, and because of that he isn't allowed to open the t.v.. And because of that, I might be out a $2500.00 t.v.! We did not throw anything at the t.v.! I've been talking to Best Buy reps all day and it isn't looking too good. So I logged on to get my mind off of it. That worked well, lol.
Nike. I recently had a delivery from FedEx that was stolen from my porch. Nike re-sent the order (completely free) after a 2 minute chat on the customer service page. Guy said something like, "We're going to fix this for you." Had my order in 2 days.
My previous computer was from Gateway, which was nice enough to send me a free replacement monitor when the old one started going dark, even though the old one was a couple years past warranty.
This past Christmas, I bought a portable DVD player for my father-in-law to use while taking trips. He never seemed to use it, but I never really thought much about it. So I asked him if I could use it on an overseas trip. "No problem", says my f-i-l. So I get on the plane, I slap my favorite DVD into place - grab the headphones - buy a beer - hit PLAY - and have the screen turn from white to gray to black and then turn off. So when I get home I ask my f-i-l if that ever happened to him to which he replies "Ah-hah" (just like the jewish Eddie Murphy in Coming to America). He thought I had bought a gag gift for him at Xmas and never wanted me to think I had "gotten" him.
So, I take this not-so-cheap, not-so-gag-gift DVD player back to Costco seven months after buying it and with no receipt. I was dreading the confrontation that was to ensue but I had paid a decent amount for the player and it basically never worked. So I get to the front of the line and tell my pathetic story and remind them I have no receipt. She looks at her computer and calls over a manager (this is where I think, "Here it comes. I'm going to have to get all worked up and raise my voice and, and....). The manager tells me the model I purchased was now out of date but he has a newer model that is much better if I'd like to trade up. Additionally, the new player was on sale, so the manager wanted to know if he could give me the difference in price between the old piece-of-crap I was returning and the new Ferrari on a gift card worth $50? After I picked my chin up off the floor, I thanked them both and proceeded to tell everyone I knew what a great experience I had at Costco.
Last year I had a 2002 MDX that had 95,000 miles on it that was nearing end of life for me.
One day the transmission started doing funny stuff and this model had a history of some issue with the transmission that had necessitated a recall and minor retrofit which had long ago been taken care of and was on record.
Knowing the history i walked in to the delaer here and mentioned this and the issue, etc. and they tell me right off the bat that Acura national has a program to deal with this and that she needs to call them to determine if/how i would qualify.
Let me say this, the vehicle had been out of warranty for a looong time and I had no other issues at all during the entire time i owned it. They owe me zilch and close to 100K on a transmission is just about right, so i don't really have any gripe that it failed at that point, especially considering how I drive.
The rep calls me later that day and says that Acura will cover all parts and 50% of the labor on a remanufactured replacemnt transmission and suffice to say i was given a loaner car and sent on my way. Three days later my car is done, they replaced a motor mount for free while in there which would normally run ~$400 (b/c you have to move the tranny to get to them) and I now had a transmission with a 3-year, 30K mile warranty on it for a total of $1,700. I was pleased.
I sold the car a few months later and the tranny/warranty combo easily bumped the value $700-$1,000 to the guy I sold it to as that was his main reservation in researching the car before he bought it.
Guess what I replaced it with?
For me the place that always has great customer service is tacklewarehouse.com. They have a large selection of bass fishing gear. I have yet to have an issue with the products they carry, but if I do I know it will be replaced (based on other's reviews). Since I live in California, if I get my order in before last shipment, I usually get it the next day or the day after that.
Another reason I like that store is that they are willing to listen to the needs of the customer. I have posted on their "product request" portion of their forum and they have now started stocking two products that I asked for.
For any off-road enthusiasts out there I've had great experience with Quadratec.com I know they have a bunch of Jeep/Cherokee/CJ stuff out there. I bought a Rubicon Express lift kid for my jeep a few years ago and 3 of the shocks wore out - totally leaked over a couple years (1 at first, then 2 more). The lift was a much nicer ride than stock originally and in general I was pleased with the product, but the leaking left me a little upset. I had to call Quadratec (who called RE for me) and they sent me out a new shock along with a paid-for box to ship them back the old shock (this was the one condition of them replacing it free of cost). When they got back the busted shock they called to apologize and thank me, and let me know if I had any issues with the rest of the shocks to let them know. Low and behold a few months later 2 of them were near empty, I called again, and they had the new shocks to me in no time. They didn't even request the originals back since I had already done that once.
Good product, good service, and I buy almost all of my Jeep stuff there
I think they have the best customer service assistance out of any company that I have ever bought a product from. I hate Dell they are the worst when it comes to tech support or cus serivce. Reason why I have converted to Apple permanently.
Last summer I was studying for the DAT and I ordered the Kaplan study guide from Amazon. This coincided with my roommates moving out and removing their names from our mailbox, causing the mailman to halt all deliveries. I didn't notice this for a few days and when I did, found out the mail man was sending all packages and deliveries back to the sender, including my study guide.
So I decided to call Amazon to find out where my package was, since the tracking website was showing it delivered. The only problem was that I could not call Amazon, you give them your phone number and they call you. Pure genius. After talking to customer service for several minutes, they told me they would overnight me a new copy free of charge. The next day the study guide was waiting on my porch.
About a week later, the post office returned the original package to me. I figured Amazon would want the book back, so I had them call me again. The rep said, "You sound like a college student and I don't want to waste your time sending you return labels, keep the book and sell/donate/give it to someone else that might need it." Amazon now has a very loyal customer.
On a side note, why the hell is it a requirement to have your name on the mailbox in AA? This is not a requirement in my hometown and I still receive mail that is not address to myself or any of my roommates.
I received someone else's order as well as my own, in two separate boxes. When I returned the other person's box with around $500 in DVD box sets in it (none of them appealed to me or truly I might have been less honest about it), they gave me a credit for the whole amount, instead of just for my return-shipping costs!
I guess maybe it would be written off as lost merchandise when they replaced them for the original customer, so they were just passing that along to me, but I was thrilled.
that's fricking incredible
I bought a computer 6 years ago and it's still working. Damn it! I can't wait for it to go bad so I can have a reason to buy a new one.