Someone once told me not to complain about something unless you plan to do something about it.  This simple bit of advice struck a nerve with me because I find it really annoying when people complain for the sake of complaining and do nothing to resolve those complaints.  Working in corporate america I keep catching myself making a random complaint and have to mentally scold myself.

With this philosophy in mind, last week I decided to tackle some of our recent consumer complaints and see how well the customer service is at the companies we buy from.

1)  Defective Canon Ink Cartridge – Our printer has been acting strangely on and off for months.  I thought it was a software problem with the iMac and upgraded all the drivers.  Last month the printer got even worse and kept giving us weird error message.  The one thing they had in common was the yellow ink cartridge.  I finally gave in and ordered a new one even though the one we had was full.  This fixed the problem!  Last week I went to the Canon site, contacted customer server and after a short email exchange where I provided the printer’s serial # and purchase date they put a new replacement cartridge in the mail.  A+

2)  Broken Rug Cleaner – This one was my own fault, from my fall down the stairs.  Instead of contacting customer service I went to the Bissel site and quickly found an area to order replacement parts.  Prices were a bit steep, but I easily ordered what was needed.  A

3)  Possessed Cell Phone – Heather’s new LG eNv2 has been acting very strange.  Sometimes when you flip it open the phone starts entering numbers, letters, and commands all on its own.  I found out that we get a full 1 year warranty on Verizon phones, during which time they will replace the phone with a refurbished model.  Customer service was extremely nice and helpful.  After a software update didn’t fix the problem they ordered the replacement. A+

4)  LL Bean Return – I love ordering from LL Bean because of their lifetime guarantee.  I had accumulated a collection of items I wasn’t happy with and finally got around to mailing them back.  The return included clothes and shoes that I bought over the last 3 years.  One item was defective, the others I just didn’t like.  They accepted the return, no questions asked, and I had my replacement items and a refund within a couple weeks.  A+

We always hear the horror stories of dealing with a bad customer service department, but my experiences the last couple weeks have been extremely positive.  I think some companies understand that a bad experience with a product can be quickly turned around by a good customer service department.  A great example of this is Lowes.  They have a very easy returns policy that I use frequently…which leads me to keep going there and buying more stuff.  I’ve never seen someone walk away from the returns desk and leave the store..they always walk in to buy something else while they’re there.

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