One up to the guy at the ProDesign (Danish designer eyeglasses) warehouse in SF. He couldn't help me find a replacement tiny broken metal hinge, but he did reply within an hour and sent a list of four distributors within a few blocks. He didn't have to do that. (But that little piece of metal cost me $75!)

One down to Future Shop (suprise!). Picking up a web order shouldn't take 30min. It was 7pm and dead, the customer service desk had one staffer helping a guy very slowly return headphones, while five staff alternated between walking aimlessly, stocking shelves, shooting the shit, and playing on the computers. Only one made eye contact to our ever growing queue. I did fill out a customer survey email after.

One up to ClearlyContacts.ca for delivering TWO DAYS after I ordered! Few people know that you can still order through the US site CoastContacts.com, which is always cheaper as long as the dollar is above 85c USD.

Finally, one down to Toys R Us for their depressed gaming staff. Try asking if you can put a Wii Fit on hold. You'll get a hesitation, no eye contact, then a wishy washy "umm let me check", then "let me make a call", then a "we're suppose to get a shipment tomorrow", then a "we have 34 currently on hold". Everything to not get me to put a hold on for some reason. This happened twice.

Take the time. Care. Be a person. If you don't want to be there, don't. There are several others who want your job. It may be hard to train your employees to care, but it's harder (and costlier!) to get a customer back.

Labels: business marketing