Dumbfounded by GREAT Customer Service!
I am in no way connected to the people in this story - especially not Fry's Electronics. Ready for a "happy" story from Father Dan? Surprised? Read on . . .
A few days ago I picked up a new cell phone at the local hell that is Fry's. I love the phone and since it was free after rebate the price was right. Mrs. Father Dan saw me playing with it and we decided to upgrade hers as well. Unfortunately, Fry's Electronics jacked the price up $100 so the phone wasn't free anymore. I knew someone else would have the phone for free so I kept my eye's open. Today I spotted and ad for the same phone, for free, at a place called Impact Communications. I gave them a ring to verify they had them in stock and headed over to get one.
Arriving at the store I was surprised to discover that the San Francisco / Silicon Valley penninsula apparently has a large Asian population. Whodda thunk it. Now I'll admit I have a slight prejudice or "spidey-sense" that lights up when signing up for complicated service plans or buying electronics when there is a language barrier. So I entered the store somewhat expecting to get some minor run around, but I was prepared! I already had the same phone and knew what service plans I wanted and what they cost. There was a little bit of upselling attempted, but it wasn't high pressure and my man Andrew actually seemed to listen to what I wanted, Then things got weird.
Andrew gave me one form to fill out. Name, Address, Etc - the standard. He then called ATT wireless to get the account activated and this is where I started to get flustered. While talking the ATT representative Andrew was also filling in 2-3 other forms that needed my information. Saving me time. What?!? He was polite, he was patient - so of course I had to push his buttons a little to see if this was genuine. We Californians are blessed with a little law that doesn't allow for companies to have you sign up for a multiple month service plan and then charge you money of you cancel early. It has to do with "no real financial damages." So I pressed Andrew on why they wanted to charge me $150 if I ended my contract early. I was a little snooty. Andrew - get this - LISTENED and withheld judgement. Hmm. Time to quit being the occidental ass - this kid's the real McCoy.
So the deal is done, I own the phone. Andrew throws in the standard free car charger and free leather case. Did I say standard? Its standard for their store to give the accessories to customers - at Fry's Electronics this would have been an additional $50. Kudos to Impact Communications. That's good customer service. But wait a minute folks -- here's where it went above and beyond and why I was compelled to give the store a free plug. Remember when Andrew was filling out some extra paperwork? He handed me my box of goodies, my receipts, AND FOLKS HE HANDED ME AN ADDRESSED ENVELOPE. Inside the envelope was the COMPLETED rebate form. On the outside of the envelope was the HANDWRITTEN address of the rebate center and MY RETURN ADDRESS. I was dumbfounded. I had heard rumors about customer service like this and seemed to remember my grandfather telling me tales about it in my youth, but I though it was a myth.
Andrew - Thank You. Thank you for restoring my faith. You're not making a million bucks, but you're on your way there. [Comment on this Post]
A few days ago I picked up a new cell phone at the local hell that is Fry's. I love the phone and since it was free after rebate the price was right. Mrs. Father Dan saw me playing with it and we decided to upgrade hers as well. Unfortunately, Fry's Electronics jacked the price up $100 so the phone wasn't free anymore. I knew someone else would have the phone for free so I kept my eye's open. Today I spotted and ad for the same phone, for free, at a place called Impact Communications. I gave them a ring to verify they had them in stock and headed over to get one.
Arriving at the store I was surprised to discover that the San Francisco / Silicon Valley penninsula apparently has a large Asian population. Whodda thunk it. Now I'll admit I have a slight prejudice or "spidey-sense" that lights up when signing up for complicated service plans or buying electronics when there is a language barrier. So I entered the store somewhat expecting to get some minor run around, but I was prepared! I already had the same phone and knew what service plans I wanted and what they cost. There was a little bit of upselling attempted, but it wasn't high pressure and my man Andrew actually seemed to listen to what I wanted, Then things got weird.
Andrew gave me one form to fill out. Name, Address, Etc - the standard. He then called ATT wireless to get the account activated and this is where I started to get flustered. While talking the ATT representative Andrew was also filling in 2-3 other forms that needed my information. Saving me time. What?!? He was polite, he was patient - so of course I had to push his buttons a little to see if this was genuine. We Californians are blessed with a little law that doesn't allow for companies to have you sign up for a multiple month service plan and then charge you money of you cancel early. It has to do with "no real financial damages." So I pressed Andrew on why they wanted to charge me $150 if I ended my contract early. I was a little snooty. Andrew - get this - LISTENED and withheld judgement. Hmm. Time to quit being the occidental ass - this kid's the real McCoy.
So the deal is done, I own the phone. Andrew throws in the standard free car charger and free leather case. Did I say standard? Its standard for their store to give the accessories to customers - at Fry's Electronics this would have been an additional $50. Kudos to Impact Communications. That's good customer service. But wait a minute folks -- here's where it went above and beyond and why I was compelled to give the store a free plug. Remember when Andrew was filling out some extra paperwork? He handed me my box of goodies, my receipts, AND FOLKS HE HANDED ME AN ADDRESSED ENVELOPE. Inside the envelope was the COMPLETED rebate form. On the outside of the envelope was the HANDWRITTEN address of the rebate center and MY RETURN ADDRESS. I was dumbfounded. I had heard rumors about customer service like this and seemed to remember my grandfather telling me tales about it in my youth, but I though it was a myth.
Andrew - Thank You. Thank you for restoring my faith. You're not making a million bucks, but you're on your way there. [Comment on this Post]
posted by Father Dan | 2:30 PM
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