A Tale of Two Stories of Customer Service

If I get good customer service, I stick with a company. If I get crappy customer service, I dump them if I can or try to avoid shopping there. I sometimes even stick with a company that really tries to give good service, even if they fall short every now and then.

I live not too far from a pet food store. It's a major chain store, but I generally don't shop there as their prices are high and it's not a pleasant shopping atmosphere. It's dark and dingy and they don't have a good selection of the stuff I usually buy. I generally patronize a small store which has a few outlets and is considerablly further away. Their prices are quite a bit cheaper and if I have any questions, the staff are very helpful with their recommendations. The place isn't dark and crowded; it's bright and airy.

So, last night, I need to get some pet food. I normally do this chore on the weekends, but the cats ran out of dry food. I went to the store that was close by, thinking I could pick up a small bag for a couple of dollars to tide them over until the weekend. I was disgusted to find that the major chain store wanted to charge me $6.00 for a small one pound bag. Then I changed my mind and decided to buy a large bag and use a coupon I have for 20% off my purchase. So, I lug the large bag up the counter and I'm told that I can't use the coupon for food. Sure enough, if I'd turned the coupon over, I would have seen that. In disgust, I walk out and drive to the other store. Immediately, the girl behind the counter greets me saying, "Is there anything I can help you with?" I stocked up on what I needed and handed her the coupon that I had for her store. I got my discount and recounted my episode at the other store.

That pretty much sealed the deal. That main chain store has pretty much guaranteed that I will NEVER shop there again. (I can't say for sure, because I can foresee that there may be a time where I need to get something from them in an emergency).

Here's to good customer service and the lengths we go to get it.