You might remember a few customer service blogs that Letitia Miele and I posted back in August.
http://community.whptv.com/blogs/letitia_miele/archive/2006/08/22/788114.aspx
http://community.whptv.com/blogs/paul_lynch/archive/2006/08/23/791640.aspx
Well, I have another customer service story for you - this one, a happier one :-)
Last Spring, I bought one of those weed-wacker things when I bought my house. I pretty much use it to edge the grass around the sidewalk and the curb. Well, it took all season for the nylon twine inside to finally run out (it literally ran out the last day that I cut the lawn last year). So, I figured, I'd just wait until the Spring to take the spool off and re-thread the twine. A few weeks ago, I broke the weed-wacker out of moth balls and tried to take the spool off. No go. I called the manufacturer and they told me that I was doing the right things. They said it might still be under warranty and that I should call a service center and have them take a look at it. I did just that, and I was told that the plastic had “fused together, due to excessive smashing on concrete or blacktop,” and, they could not get it off either. So, I was left with a useless piece of equipment.
Now, the only way to get the nylon thread to keep feeding out as it wears down as your edging, is to tap it on the ground. If you do this on the grass – well, you get a nice little bald spot. So, I always tap it on the concrete or blacktop. I was told that I broke the weed-wacker. I was given two options: (1) buy a new one – cost: $40. (2) pay to have this one repaired – cost: more than $40. Neither one of these options was acceptable to me.
So, I wrote one of my infamous detailed letters to the president of the company, explaining my story and requesting a free repair or a free replacement. I also added that all of my lawn and garden equipment is from this company, because I believe in the quality of their products.
A few days later, I got a letter in the mail apologizing for the problems, and a promise that I would receive a free replacement. Sure enough, only a few minutes later, the UPS truck delivered a brand new weed-wacker.
NOW, THAT’S CUSTOMER SERVICE!
And, I will be sending a thank you note to them too.
