(1:12) I had a customer service experience last week that has me undecided about how I feel.(1:09) In a few weeks we will begin our southern migration. I like to periodically provision for all of our non-perishables. It's not a fun task but when we are walking back some distance from a grocery store with just fresh items, I really appreciate not having to schlep canned goods and other heavy staples.
(1:00) If there's a courtesy car or we happen to have a rental car, I can run to a large grocery store but that is very time consuming. I've tried online services with varying success.
(0:55) So I was excited to run across a new service that seemed to offer me everything I could want - great selection, good prices, fast delivery. I thought I would give them a try.
(0:50) A couple of days later, the marina office told me that I had several large boxes waiting. When I arrived I found my boxes smashed and burst open, some with a pathetic piece of tape or two trying to seal them back up. I took some pictures and brought the boxes to the boat.
(0:43) Many cans were missing - spilled out of the open boxes I'm sure - and 2/3 were damaged. I sent the company an email with pictures.
(0:40) Over the next 24 hours I received approximately 6 email exchanges, each with a different person. Finally, I received a phone call from Ashley R. who stated she was going to take care of me. She was terrific.
(0:36) Over the next half hour she went over my order, refunded items they couldn't replace and promised to send replacements for the rest. I expressed concern about receiving them intact. She assured me they would handle things better, so I decided to give them a 2nd chance.
(0:28) Two days later as we crossed the parking lot I saw the FedEx Ground truck arrive and went to meet it. I knew there was a problem when I found the driver picking up cans off the floor and putting them into a box. I don't need to tell you the rest.
(0:21) The company did refund the full amount of my order along with a sincere apology. But will I try them again in the future? I'm not sure. While their customer service people were great, ultimately, the company failed to provide me with what I needed. Do I want to give them a third chance?
(0:13) There is much focus today on customer service and for good reason. But a lesson here is that even the most exceptional customer service will not make up for gross flaws in the service itself. Businesses are lucky when they get a second chance and unlikely to get a third chance.
(0:06) So when you're given a second chance to make up for a previous bad experience, you've got to hit the ball out of the park because you likely won't get a third chance.
(0:02) And that's the marina minute.
