The Customer Is Always Right

How many times have you actually encountered this sentiment in a store you've visited? I've called stores before, and asked about a specific item and when I get there, the item either isn't there or doesn't exist. Then when you ask someone about it, they look at you like you walked into Garden World instead of a paper store.

A recent experience put this motto to the test. Back in July, I had to replace our digital camera. The little door where the batteries go had a broken clasp on the inside. Turns out it would cost almost as much to buy a new camera as it would to fix the little door. So I bought a new one. It wasn't actually new; they only had a floor model and this particular sale was ending. The guy told me if I wanted to, I could buy the floor model and they would call me when a new one came in to exchange it.

On Thanksgiving, planning our shopping strategies, my sister found my exact camera on sale $50 cheaper than what I paid. And it was the same store where I bought the camera in July. I was never able to get back out there and had just forgotten about it. Hard-working guy that my husband is, offered to hit a few stores and pick up some bargains. He suggested trying to get the camera replaced. So I wrote a note explaining the situation. Since DH is deaf (and I'm not being sarcastic here; he IS deaf), it was easier to have it written down. Unfortunately all he came home with was a new warranty paper. They had mistakenly written down a different model number in July. I was annoyed because I just wanted it taken care of. We happened to be out again that night for dinner and he suggested me trying to fix it myself. So I explained to an employee what happened. She took a brand new camera off the shelf and put it on hold for me. She even said she would ask her manager about giving us a deal since we had so many problems.

Last night, DH came home with the brand new camera, $50 returned from the purchase price and someone even noticed that we had been charged a warranty for a higher model camera and refunded that as well! I couldn't believe how great they were. They didn't have to refund any money and we never would have known about the warranty mistake.

So the next time you're treated like you walked into computer store and actually wanted a ficus, keep the faith. Somewhere, someone out there actually knows what customer service is.