That said, it is much easier to write a blog post when something negative has happened and much more difficult to remember and write about all the positive things that happen numerous time each day.  This week I had one incident that clearly stood out and made me pause to say – now that is how customer service is done!   That company, Room and Board, is somewhat known for their good customer service.  We’ve been to their store in SoHo numerous times and have many pieces of their furniture in our apartment.  Since moving back to Austin, there is no store so we rely on their website.  Recently, we were buying some chairs for our office.  These chairs happened to be on special 15% off when we ordered them.

Unfortunately, when they arrived we had ordered slightly the wrong ones.  They did not have adjustable arms – something which makes a huge difference in comfort, in my opinion.  The ones w/ adjustable arms were not much more and it was a simple oversight when we clicked order.  And, in my mind, one of the downfalls of web shopping – had we been present we surely would have sat in, tried out and picked out the right chairs.

I called into customer service to arrange a return and hopefully to get the correct chairs sent out.  When I talked to the CSR she informed me that while she’d be happy to place the order for the new chairs, she would not be able to honor he sale price as the sale had ended the day before.  I understood why she couldn’t do it, but some how it just felt wrong.  After some discussion, I told her to just go ahead and process the return and that we’d get the chair someplace else or another time.

After I hung up the phone I was sitting there feeling bad about the entire thing.  If I had just paid more attention we would have gotten the right chairs.  If Room and Board wasn’t so inflexible.  etc, etc.  Just then my cell phone rang.  It was the Room & Board customer service rep.  She explained that she had just not felt right about not being able to give us the sale price and that she’d gone and presented our case to her manager.  They’d agreed that despite the policy, in this instant, it made since to go ahead and extend the sale price for the replacement chair, if I’d like to order it.  Absolutely, I said…. and the rest is history.

There are a few things about this that make this customer service done right.  The foremost is that a customer service rep actually looked at the situation as the unique set of events that it was and was able to step outside of the rules to make an exception.  The second was that she actually used her head to make this decision instead of just blindly following the computer screen.  And finally, that she actually cared enough to take the time to see if she could make things better.

It was a small effort, but it went a long way and in my mind they’ve earned serious points and they’ve earned a customer for life.  Anyone looking for quality home or office furnishings should seriously check them out.  Online at http://www.roomandboard.com

Email sent Friday, January 26, 2001 5:16 PM

Corporate culture sucks.  Here I am at home for over
two hours and you people still have no discernable
intention of consuming frosty malted adult beverages.
Do you see what the damn bottom line does to people.
I think there needs to be some serious changes made in
the way companies treat people.  Its just not right to
still be at work at 5:00 on a Friday.  Friday happy
hour is a basic human right.  I hear it is up for
discussion at the U.N.  Well let me tell you people,
it just isn't going to happen unless you do something
about it.  You think the man is going to just waltz in
an release you from your tired post where you have
been alienated from you labor from the last five days
on end?  No! Not if he thinks he can squeeze another
drop of sweat from your brows.  You people need to
rise up, take what is yours.  "Liberties are not
given; they are taken."  I bet if you were to look
over at the man sitting there you'd see he's done less
today than you have all week.  Don't let yourself get
pushed around.  He needs you more than you need him.
Remember you can fool some people sometime, but you
can't fool all the people all the time.  So see the
light.  Take what has been coming to you all week. 

There oughta be a law.

From:  Andrea M. Fields
To: JpMaxMan
Date:  Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 3:13 PM
Subject: RE: Pacific Natural Foods Inquiry
Hi Jp,

So glad to hear you had a great experience with our product. Unfortunately, the Barista Series product is a Food Service line that is only offered through distributors and not through retail. You could ask the coffee shop if they would be willing to sell you some of their product.

Good luck!

Andrea

Totally sucks, what about the home baristas who like to make their own delicious coffee drinks.   We are just left out in the cold?  We have to run a commercial shop to get this product?  This must not be right – this is a free market after all.  So, if anyone knows anywhere in the Austin area or over the Internet to order this product (even by the case) let me know!  It seriously makes the BEST coffee drinks!