First, a few lessons I've learned along the way, because I'm starting to feel like something of an expert lately (you wouldn't believe all the battles I've fought). I have learned that customer service reps are merely a first line of defense meant to exhaust you into giving up. Most of them are not empowered to help you, and many people take their word as gospel so they just give up - this is what a company wants you to do. If you aren't getting anywhere with a customer service rep, ask to speak to a supervisor or request the address for the corporate office and write a letter. Letters are very effective if done right. I once received a refund for a missed shipping date and a $50 gift card for having written a letter.
Always document when you called and who you spoke with. When writing a letter or email, give praise if praise is due (if one of the ten reps you've spoken too went out of their way to help you, give them props), take emotion out of it and state facts, tell them what the issue is and how they can resolve it to your satisfaction. Don't threaten them, don't use expletives, don't even use the word "you", always try to refer to a company so that it doesn't feel personal to the person reading it. Allow them the opportunity to rectify the situation as long as it's reasonable to do so, but draw the line at more than one or two attempts.
When speaking to a representative, realize that it is not their fault and - as I said earlier - they are most likely not very empowered. If you lose your cool they are less likely to want to help you so they will just play dumb or give standard responses. If you are pleasant, you will stand out from the crowd and they may actually offer solutions you hadn't thought of, or make an exception to a rule. It is when you are about to lose your cool that I suggest requesting a supervisor. I try to give each rep the benefit of the doubt unless they prove themselves completely incompetent. Also, since many call centers seem to be in India now, you may have problems understanding or communicating with a rep, it's okay to pretend that the call was dropped and call back, or ask to speak to a supervisor.
The way I see it, we are the customers. We have a choice in where we do business. Companies don't have to act as if we are royalty, but they should certainly show us more respect than most do. I resent it when I have to stay on top of something, when a company says they will call me back and they don't, when they give me a delivery date and every time the deadline arrives they offer up excuses, when they put me through automated attendant hell, when they act as if I am a burden. And I don't know about you, but the longer I sit on hold, the angrier I get, especially if I keep getting transferred from department to department and have to tell my story to five different people. They always seem to take copious amounts of notes, but the next rep never seems to be able to find them.
So enough of that. On to the accolades.
Consistently good service... on time shipments, correct items shipped, pleasant cashiers/ representatives, easy returns:
- JC Penney
- Bed Bath & Beyond
- Bath & Body Works
- DirecTV (phone reps only... techs usually seem to have some excuse for running late and a tendency to voice how incompetent previous technicians were... I think it's an ego thing because Comcast and Time Warner techs were the same way... repairmen in general...)
- Barnes & Noble (storefront staff and online book help, not necessarily tech support)
- Amazon.com
- O.co
Standouts:
Citibank - They once refunded a payment I'd made when my bank account was overdrawn (gross misunderstanding with a vendor about a refund) and saved my butt. They also transferred a charge over to a promotional offer once. They didn't have to do either of those things and I guarantee you most banks wouldn't. I have been a long-time customer and they have always come through for me.
Pinkberry - I ordered my fro-yo to go and the girl behind the counter actually put ice in a baggie and set it inside the bag with my yogurt to keep it cold
Soap.com - I received a surprise free goodie (full-sized Comtrex) with my order, they have a 365 day return policy with free return shipping, and you can mail in coupons (I've dreamt of it and never thought it could be manifested in real life!). All of the items were in plastic baggies in case they spilled out and there was a very nice welcome letter from the owners. Very nice.
AT&T Wireless - When my husband flew back to Dubai he didn't turn his phone off, and if you just turn data off but don't turn the phone off, it doesn't register, it's like rebooting a computer after installing software I guess. We would have incurred an $800 charge for the data, but the representative said they had just started an international data plan and she could grandfather him in so all we would owe is $35. Then she asked if he planned on using a data plan, and if not said she could set it to auto-terminate at the end of the month. What's more? She actually did it. They also called us one month when his usage spiked to let us know that our bill was going to be higher than normal and find out if it was actually us making the calls. It was, so it was fine, but they suggested that I review my bill at the end of the month and dispute all the one minute charges for $3.99 because those were probably calls that didn't connect and after the 3rd ring (?) they start to charge. That saved us another $40. Most companies don't do things like that.
Bad Boys Transport - The driver that delivered my RV (on Thanksgiving Day) apparently only had my work number... I wasn't at work that day. He called several times and couldn't reach me, called the dealership and couldn't reach them, called his dispatch and no one answered. Finally he found my address on the temporary license plate (we had given him the address to the storage facility) and drove to my house. My neighbor happened to be home and she called me. He arrived about 8 hours earlier than expected and went out of his way to track me down. They get major props.
One King's Lane - Got a nice introductory deal from them with a signup bonus, a really nice bowl set and colorful vase practically for free. The items took a while to arrive but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality, and to be fair I think I've just been spoiled by the 2-day shipping I've gotten from Amazon Prime lately. Today I got a thank you gift of note cards. It was unexpected and I thought it was a nice touch.
Bay Area Postal - These guys are local, but I can't say enough nice things about them. The service is personalized, they remember their customers and always seem to be smiling. It's a little out of my way to go here, but it's worth it.
The Body Shop - Yes I love my bath products! I had a Groupon, $20 for $40 worth of product. I was hoping to score more Amber Oud to replace what I'd bought in Dubai and since used up. Apparently it's Dubai specific. :( However, on the day I chose to spend my Groupon, TBS was running a promotion where they gave each customer a card with a little perforated zipper, you open it up and get different deals... half off, one free item, etc. I got Buy One Get One Free (BOGO as it's known). I thought it was exactly that. Buy ONE, get ONE. The cashier told me I could get four more items if I wanted, I hadn't bought $40 worth of product yet. So it wasn't limited to one item, it counted for my whole purchase. I don't think that was true, and in a rare moment of ethical consumerism I did try to clarify, but she's the expert, so I ended up with almost $100 worth for a little over $20 plus tax. This makes Kristy happy.
Lastly... stores that I have butted heads with, but have gone back and made it right include Sears and Walgreens. Sears gave me the $50 gift card I mentioned earlier. Their corporate office called me after I wrote the letter. So I turned around and used the gift card during a promotion where you buy $50 in men's wear and get a $25 gift card to spend two weeks later. Mike got a whole new wardrobe for Dubai and we didn't pay for much out of pocket. It was pretty awesome. All I wanted was a refund for the shipping, the gift card was one of those unexpected things that makes a company stand out.
