A Tale of Two Radically Different Customer Experiences

When we think of customer service, we think of quality products, polite customer service agents, and reasonable prices. We definitely don't think about products that fall apart the moment they arrive at our homes via delivery, rude representatives by phone, email, or in person, or exorbitantly high prices.

This is a tale of two radically different customer experiences.

The front door of my house had recently been re-painted, so I wanted to purchase a new wreath to hang on the door. Since the selection was always more extensive on Etsy, I thought it would be nice to search on that site and also support its small business owners. Little did I know what a mistake that was! I purchased a green wreath that, from the photos, looked like it was a quality product that would look nice on my front door. 

However, the box arrived damaged, and upon opening the box, I noticed that at least a dozen pieces had fallen off of the wreath and were unable to be re-attached. I had to return the wreath to the seller.

Upon contacting the seller, I was told that there were no returns and no refunds. I was speechless. The item was damaged. That was simply bad business. And the wreath had cost $125. After a few more back and forth messages, the seller agreed to refund my money IF - and only if - I returned the damaged wreath.

I went to my local UPS store and post office and nearly fainted. The cost to ship the wreath was $60. That was half the price of the wreath. That must have meant the seller had paid pennies to make the wreath so that she would make money on the sale. Anyhow, since I wanted some money back, I had to pay $60 to ship the wreath.

Once I received my refund, I researched the name of the CEO of Etsy and other members of his C-Suite and sent them an email message explaining my experience. I got no response from the CEO. But I did get an email letting me know that a $5 coupon would be available in my account. Wow, a big $5. 

Since I was out $60 and then given a coupon for $5, I was still out $55. No one at Etsy wanted to make me whole, meaning that I would have to spend more money on Etsy to use the coupon. The customer service reps who emailed me a couple of times informed me that they had no authority to refund more than $5. Had I been the CEO (who earns $16 million a year, by the way), or anyone who works for him, I would have purchased a $50 gift card and sent it to me. What happened to out-of-the-box thinking?

So, now, let's turn our attention to how a different brand dealt with a recent experience. I had purchased eight soup bowls from Mikasa. When they arrived at my house, one was slightly damaged. So I contacted the customer service email address and asked if they would replace the defective bowl. 

I immediately received an email: "Hi Debbie! Thanks for reaching out. We feel terrible that a bowl in your order was defective, and we're happy to replace it for you without delay. Here's your replacement order number and tracking number, it should arrive in 7-10 days. Also, don't worry about sending back the damaged merchandise, and feel free to keep any extras in the replacements we send you. Thanks for choosing Mikasa, and have a great day! Sincerely, Mikasa Customer Service."

And you know what? The package from Mikasa contained four - YES FOUR - new bowls.

Which brand understands customer experience marketing, the customer journey, and walking a mile in the customer's shoes? Which of these two brands would you choose to do business with?

I've asked Shep Hyken, customer experience expert and author to chime in about the importance of positive customer experiences in the past, and one of his previous quotes is just as timely now as when it first appeared here on my blog back in April, "Great service isn't complicated – some of the basics include respect, professionalism, and follow-through."

And lastly, let's always remember my two favorite quotes on this topic:

SHARE THIS: Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. ~Bill Gates #CX #BrandExperience #DebbieLaskeysBlog

SHARE THIS: There is only one boss - the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money elsewhere. ~Sam Walton #CX #BrandExperience #DebbieLaskeysBlog

Image Credits: Etsy and Mikasa.