I’ve had several customer experiences recently that blew my mind, rocked my socks and made me VERY happy. I love to reward companies for being awesome, so here are my raves about not one but FOUR great recent customer service experiences.
My Disney happy ending
Have you ever left a Disney park without buying something you really liked, only to deeply and sorrowfully regret it later? Well, that was me for the past week – I had a massive case of the sads and “non-buyer’s regret.” You see, I spied an adorable teal Mickey scarf while rushing past the Main Street shops on the way out of Disneyland last Friday with a cranky toddler and grumpy husband (and really, who can say which is more daunting). There was no way to stop or go back, nor did I have any chance of forgetting a scarf that gorgeous. Once back home in chilly Ohio, I did some sleuthing online and alas, the accessory of my desires could not be found at the Disney store or on Ebay. I ended up spotting it on a site of questionable repute at a ridiculously jacked-up price, and was pretty close to ordering it when I stumbled upon the magical entity that is Disney Merchandise Guest Services. You simply call 877-560-6477 and these wish-granters will sleuth out whatever you saw at a Disney park, then mail it to you with no mark-up other than a flat shipping cost. Talk about a “when you wish upon a star” moment. My package should arrive within 10 days and I cannot wait to get it! Thank you, Disney, for thinking of everything.
LEGO Duplo love
My next happy tale involves a phenomenon at Zoe’s daycare: she and the girls in her class have become *obsessed* with the clear LEGO Duplo pieces, calling them “crystal goldens” and treasuring, hoarding and fighting over them as if they were truly priceless gems. I got on the LEGO site and tried to figure out how to obtain more of these translucent blocks, especially the clear pink and purple ones these girls are so crazy about, but I looked through the entire site and couldn’t find them. So, I reached out to via the LEGO Duplo Facebook page, explained my wacky story and asked if they could point me in the right direction to find more of these pieces. They did two things that were unbelievably helpful – first, they told me about the Pick a Brick LEGO shop online, where you can purchase almost any LEGO piece or part your heart desires, including hard to find pieces in just about any shape or shade. Then, the kind LEGO Duplo social media person also told me they had some extra translucent pieces in the office and they’d be happy to send me some! Zoe was thrilled to get a package from LEGO in the mail and super excited to receive some more “crystal goldens” to build and play with. When a company is this fabulous and customer-centric, it’s a treasure, I tell you – a treasure. Kind of like an elusive translucent LEGO Duplo block in a coveted color.
Chic at any cost
Longtime readers already know that I’m head over heels in love with Lila Rose – A Chic Boutique, a little Facebook-based boutique that carries trendy, comfy clothes at great prices. From time to time the owner, Alex, runs short specials and coupon codes that are only valid for a certain amount of time. I saw one of those discount codes come across Facebook one afternoon, raced home from work to get online and shop, only to find that circumstances prevented me from getting online to buy the item I wanted while the discount was going on. I was dejected and bummed about missing it, so I messaged Alex on Facebook the next day just on the off chance she might have mercy on me and extend it. You know what? She did. I shopped with my coveted discount. The experience made me feel so good that I fell even further in love with Lila Rose and the idea of buying from a person instead of a massive, faceless corporate chain. And as always, a Lila Rose package that arrives on your doorstep is like a Christmas gift wrapped with love and style – adorable presentation and convenience, now with an added boost of personalized customer service, too. Alex once posted the quote, “If you have the power to make someone happy, do it. The world needs more of that.” And she proved that she walks the talk.
Yogibodacious
If you’re friends with me on Facebook, you know that my DIY-licious hubby E spent much of February building an incredible play castle for Zoe as her big 4th birthday present. We decided to furnish the castle with Yogibo bean bag chairs, because an awesome princess castle deserves the most fantastic furnishings possible. It was my job to get online and order the bean bags, but I kept choking on the shipping costs – about $40. I searched for free shipping and other coupon codes online but kept coming up cold. I stalked the company on Facebook and noticed they do run promotions from time to time, but never (it seemed) on the popular bean bag chairs themselves. So, finally, I went old school and called Yogibo customer service and flat out asked them if they could help me out because it was killing me to pay for shipping. I shared a bit about the research I’d done on competitors and the fact that they sometimes offer free shipping. I put it all out there… would they hook a mom up, so I could try to get these fab things in time for ZB’s big birthday bash weekend? Unfortunately, they responded that no, they could not give me shipping for free – because they don’t even charge the full amount it costs them to ship these big suckers out. But then, my contact said they COULD offer me a special 10% off coupon if that would sweeten the deal? I was thrilled. 10% off was actually a smidgen more than if they had given me free shipping! I placed the order, begged them to expedite shipping, and lo and behold the castle was chock full o’ bright, versatile Yogibos for Zoe’s birthday. Color me a happy, and oh so comfortable, Yogibo-lounging, mama!
So there you have it. Four companies that go above and beyond to help a mommy out. I’ve been left with such a fantastic taste in my mouth from these experiences that ALL I want to do is shop, shop, shop! Kidding – calm down, honey (yeah right – I’m 99% sure he doesn’t read this blog).
What do you think – is customer service alive and well, or did I just get incredibly lucky with these four instances? Have you had good customer service experiences lately? As always, I’d love to hear your stories in the comments below.
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