The Value of a Well-Placed Complaint
A few months after my daughter was born, we bought a Chicco Capri stroller to take her to the zoo and on other outings in. My son had been content to be carried in a baby sling well into toddlerhood, while my daughter fought the sling from the get-go and was much happier being pushed about in a stroller. We had a big, bulky, and almost unmanageable stroller that was a gift from when my son was born, but we sold that at a yardsale and bought a nice lightweight one instead.
I loved this stroller. It was easy to fold up, easy to carry, it worked well, and it was very easy to push. And then, about a year after we bought it, one of the metal supports started to wear through the fabric covering the seat. A few months ago, the support broke through the fabric completely. I was less than pleased. We had had the stroller for about 18 months and although we used it many times, it didn’t seem like it should be wearing out so fast. And the support is right where my daughter sits, so it affected the comfort and safety of the stroller as well, in my opinion.
So I wrote an email to Chicco explaining what had happened with our stroller. Their customer service emailed me back asking for some specifics about the stroller and some model numbers printed on it, and a picture of the damaged part. I complied, emailing them back some digital pictures of the damaged area and the proximity to my daughter. They asked for my address and phone number, and I sent that to them as well.
And yesterday afternoon, UPS delivered a brand new stroller.
It would be nice if this post was about my Dell monitor, but it’s not. Dell has decided that their defective monitor is not their responsibility. They have now gone on my “You’ve lost my business forever” list, right next to Saturn. But the value of a justified and well-thought out complaint when deserved is not diminished by these failures. When you’ve been wronged, speak out. You may be pleasantly surprised by the results. Thanks, Chicco!
October 2nd, 2008 at 7:41 am
That’s wonderful! I wish more companies understood they would create loyal-for-life customers if they handled situations like Chicco has.
October 2nd, 2008 at 9:33 am
Well done! I had a similar negative experience when I tried to complain about a new computer. I received back a generic response, showing that they had clearly not even take the time to read my email. Very disappointing, but reassuring to see that some companies take their responsibilities seriously!
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:29 am
Glad to hear that they were willing to step up to the plate and do the right thing! I just had a Customer Service experience with a free vitamin sample, and thought I was doing pretty well for getting the company to send a replacement for the crushed bottle I initially received, but to get an actual replacement stroller is just FANTASTIC.
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:30 am
The cynic in me says that a stroller company is more likely to be successfully sued for potentially harming a child than a computer company is likely to be sued for a defective monitor. But whatever; at least you got a new one!
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:37 am
I have to say that when a company has really good customer service they usually have me as a customer for life. My husband had a pair of carhartt pants that wore out in the crotch in about 1 month. He always wears this brand of pants and has never had a problem with them wearing out. I contacted the company and they sent me a label to return the pants and a week later they sent us a brand new pair. My dh is now a customer for life.
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:40 am
I agree. I got a $30 gift card from Home Depot after a complaint. Intex replaced our pool filter free after a complaint. And Chicago Cutlery has gone on my NEVER buy from them list after 2 of the knives my kids bought us for our 25th anniversary broke in half–just because they were accidentally dropped going from dishwasher to countertop. The blades literally snapped in half. I emailed them and was told I could replace 1 large knife if I pay for it and to replace one of my set of 4 steak knives I’d have to buy 6.
Their ‘lifetime warrantee’ only covers normal use–apparently it is not normal to drop a knife 2 feet.
All I know is–nobody I know will ever buy chicago cutlerly again. But I will reccomend Home Depot’s customer service dept and our pool to everyone.
October 2nd, 2008 at 11:43 am
Awesome!! Good for you!
October 2nd, 2008 at 12:24 pm
It’s amazing in this age of blogging, and the internet in general, that any company would risk the ire of a customer! They must know that *instantly* the world will hear about their customer service.
My own story: rented a Rug Doctor (Monday); of course it leaked -took it back–NO refund just a Rain Check. That’s the new policy, I guess because they leave so many defective machines out there. BURNED.
Congrats on following through!
October 3rd, 2008 at 4:21 pm
I love happy endings. Kudos to you for speaking up!!!
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:26 pm
I had a similar wonderful experience with Altec. I won an iPod speaker system and after a short while I lost all sound. I contacted them as the manufacturer really trying to see if there was a part or something I could do to fix it. They told met to ship it to them and they would replace. I told them it was from a contest and I did not actually purchase it, but they did not care. I shipped it and in a few short weeks I had a new one at my door. So now I tell everyone I know about them. Hopefully they will get new customers because I am sure happy with them!
October 3rd, 2008 at 8:03 pm
I’m impressed. Often all you get is a perpetual run-around. Good to know that there are companies out there that still take customer service seriously.
October 10th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Thank you for the Dell update. We’ve been thinking about buying my husband a new computer but when he checked out the Dell web site, he hated it. So much worse than it used to be, especially with them trying to trick you into buying things you don’t want/need. So adding your experience to the mix, I think we’ll just cross Dell off the list. Too bad, we’ve been buying them for 10 years.
October 18th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
What a terrific example of the power of great customer service. Sometimes I wonder how large companies stay in business when they serve the needs of new customers better than those of loyal, long-time customers. Kudos to Chiccos!