Community Chat

[catlvr]

With all the rubbish customer service we seem to be getting I wonder has any company been really brilliant when you've had a problem.

Back in the late 80s when DH and I had been married a couple of years I got it into my head that I wanted a round wicker table, like a hallway table, a bit bigger than an end table.

A new Conran's furniture store had opened in NJ and one Saturday DH and I found ourselves there. And there it was!!! The table exactly as I had imagined it. I was so excited. We had a few things in a basket and went to check out and I asked the sales associate for one of those tables.

He said it was a new line and they didn't have any. But they clearly did. I was looking at it. I said I'll have that one and he said no I can't sell you that one. I was annoyed but let it go.

At work on Monday I told a friend about this story and the more I thought about it the more annoyed I became. So I wrote a letter to Sir Terrance Conran, CEO of Habitat the parent company in London and I copied the CEO of Conran's North America.

DH and I had bought a dining room set from Conran's previously which needed repair but my FIL was a dab hand with a power drill and he sorted that out. I did mention that not so great experience in my letter and then because I was a snot and working on Wall Street I mentioned a book that we had been given to read by a Harvard U economist who was defining how business would be successful in the future and that it was all down to customer service.

Picture my surprise when a few weeks later I had a call at work from the CEO of Conran's North America's secretary acknowledging my letter and explaining that they wished to give me the table as a belated wedding present and where should they deliver it.

I still have that table. It has moved 13 times with us and I still love it. And I still go into Conran's with a smile.

Nothing like that has ever happened again.

Any hero companies you want to share? Then we will all know WHERE to shop.

catlvr