Category: Retail Experiences

Winning the customer service battle

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Remember the cute speaker I purchased in November? It started acting funny two weeks ago which was really disappointing. Today, with some free time on my hands, I went online to Philip’s site to chat with their customer service, and was pleasantly surprised with the ease at which they handled my issue. They are sending me a replacement speaker. Now that’s good customer service! Plus I’ve always felt it makes a difference how you communicate to the person you’re seeking help from, so I’m posting the transcript in case anyone would like to see an example of what I typically say.

Following this transcript, check out the poor experience I had with Bank of America recently. I could have handled myself better in the chat, but I was fuming at the time, particularly because that was not the first time that they changed the parameters of an account and I was slapped with monthly charges. Shame on me for not noticing them sooner, though. I have to keep a better eye on the accounts I don’t use often. Luckily I was able to convince them to refund all the charges, but I’m still considering changing banks. Anyone have a recommendation? I need a local bank (I’m in Illinois in the suburbs West of Chicago) that allows online banking and free ATM use.

Philips

Chat started!
Sam: Hello Nicole
Nicole: I purchased the portable universal speaker for my iPhone in November and already it is not working properly. The sound cuts in and out as if the connection for the cord is loose. I’m very disappointed as the sound quality was nice.
Nicole: I’ve only used it a few times since I’ve had it too.
Sam: I’m really sorry about the experience, I’ll be glad to help you with it.
Sam: May I have the model number, serial number and date of purchase of your player?
Nicole: is the model number and serial number on the box?
Sam: It should be on the back of the Speakers.
Nicole: Model No is SBA 1600BLK/27
Nicole: S/N number is _________
Nicole: It was purchased on 11/12/11 from Walmart
Sam: Thanks, Nicole!
Sam: Since the your unit is within warranty, I will process a replacement for your the Speakers.
Sam: To process the replacement for you, may I have your full name, complete mailing address with phone number and email address.
Nicole: Wonderful! :)
Nicole: Sure. My name is ________.
Nicole: My address is _________
Nicole: My phone number is _________
Nicole: My email address is __________
Sam: Thanks, I’ve processed the request. You should receive your replacement within 7-14 business days. Also, here’s our chat session ID __________ for your reference.
Sam: A pre-paid return shipping label will be included with your replacement for the return of your current speakers.
Nicole: Ok. Thank you for the assistance, Sam.
Sam: Once you have packaged your non-functioning speakers, please drop it off at your nearest FedEx location or FedEx drop box. You may visit www.fedex.com to find a location near you.
Nicole: Will do.
Sam: You’re welcome!
Sam: “You might receive a short email survey soon. It would be great to hear your feedback about our chat today. If you are pleased with my service, you would rate either a 9 or 10; and if you unhappy, please rate between 0 to 8.”
Sam: Is there anything else I can assist you with today?
Nicole: Nope. Thank you. Have a nice day!
Sam: Thank you for contacting Philips.
Chat is closed by agent

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Bath & Body Works & The Olive Garden

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I’ve never been the biggest fan of Bath & Body Works because their merchandise is overpriced and their staff relentlessly bug you whenever you enter a store. That being said, yesterday I figured I might as well redeem the coupon I found through Slickdeals for some free lotion.

Not entirely surprising, no one was aware of the promotion and they didn’t have the 2 oz. lotions in stock. Luckily they gave me a 5 oz. bottle for free instead which is better than many other people who tried and were turned away and told “no substitutions”. It’s really unfortunately when a company runs a promotion and fails to communicate it to their staff or have supply on hand. It’s just bad customer service and can also be seen as bait and switch.

As for the scent, I do like it, but not enough to buy any more. I find all their scents get a bit annoying after repeated exposure. Plus I STILL have lotions and body washes I purchased well over five years ago. They tend to last forever since I can’t tolerate them for long before going back to a regular lotion you can buy at Target.

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Another place that’s low on my list of places I frequent is The Olive Garden. I’ve never disliked their food, I’m just not big on Italian food in general and prefer to make my own. For some reason I got a taste for them this weekend, however, so after Bath & Body Works we had an early dinner at the St. Charles Olive Garden. Joe ordered the stuffed chicken marsala and I had the 5 cheese ziti. I’ve had it before and really like it. Their salad is good too, but the breadsticks are just ok. I’ve heard people rave about them but I just don’t get it. If you’re looking for really good bread sticks try Gino’s East instead.

Dinner was relatively inexpensive thanks to a $5 coupon and some left over credit on a gift card we originally bought to be used at Red Lobster. I really didn’t need the extra calories but I’ve got two seafood meals and a chicken salad planned for this week’s dinners so it should all balance out.

AT&T Wireless is sneaky

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A cautionary tale for those who upgraded their iPhone and have AT&T. Check your bill because AT&T is trying to pull a fast one!

I received my most recent AT&T wireless bill recently and since the bill was $24 higher than normal I had to investigate. There was an $18 upgrade fee charged for my iPhone 4S, which I expected, but that didn’t explain the additional $4 until I saw that when they changed my data plan from the iPhone 3GS to the 4S they screwed up the math. See, my prior bill covered 10/03-11/02 and I paid the full $30 data plan charge. My current bill covers 11/03-12/02, but in addition there was a data plan charge for $19 covering 10/14-11/02, and underneath was a credit of $15.30 for 10/15-11/02 for the same charge. WTF? The credit should have been for $19 as well from 10/14-11/02 but by them putting the credit in a day later (10/15) they tried to rip me off for $3.70 plus tax.

I understand that they want to show that the data plan changed when I upgraded my phone but since I already pre-paid the full $30 the month before and they were charging me for a full month again, the charge and the subsequent credit for the date the plan changed should cancel one another out.

So I called AT&T and at first the guy was trying to explain away the charge because of the difference in dates, but when I explained that there SHOULDN’T be a difference he agreed to credit me $3.70. I reminded him that I was also charged tax on that $3.70 so I should be credited that as well. He agreed, but didn’t know the tax rate. I told him it’s 8.75% in Illinois, but instead of calculating it and giving me a credit for $4.02 he gave me an even $5. Does the guy not know how to use a calculator or was he just lazy? Not sure, but I’ll take it

That should be a lesson to AT&T not to mess with a Senior Billing Analyst, because I know how to read a bill!

Deals on toys

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I really like going to Half Price Books even though most of the time we leave empty-handed. Not this weekend! Yesterday we came across a drum set for the Xbox 360 for only $14.99. With a 20% off coupon it was even less. I’ve wanted to get the drums ever since my brother brought his Wii set over but wasn’t willing to pay $80. It hadn’t even occurred to me to check for a used set so I’m glad Joe spotted them since the store only had one.

Joe asked about getting a bigger discount since the set was missing a crucial connector but luckily they had one in the back. All we had to buy were drum sticks from Target ($7 for 4) and we were set. I used my 20% off coupon to get Lego Rock Band for $6.80 and we took everything home to test it out. We also tried our most recent Guitar Hero game, and while it works fine, Rock Band seems much more forgiving on the drums which is good news for yours truly since I am not nearly as good on the drums as I am on the guitar. The game even lets you put the foot pedal on auto so you don’t have to worry about touching it during the game. Also good news for the uncoordinated such as myself.

Today we went back to Half Price since we had 50% off coupons and Joe spotted an old PS2 (we prefer the old one because we have a hard drive) for $20 which was only $10 with the coupon. It even came with a controller in addition to all the cables. What a deal! Now we can return my brother’s PS2 to him. He let us take his when ours died a few months ago but he wanted $40 to keep it. We also got the original Rock Band for only $4.30. Buying used is definitely the way to go when it comes to games and equipment when you play as infrequently as we do.

I plan on going back as soon as Half Price sends me more coupons because I want to get a 2012 calendar. They’re 50% cheaper than those calendar stores in the mall so if I can get another 50% off coupon I’ll be able to get a full-size calendar for only $3.50. I liked the jellyfish one I saw there today so I’ll probably get that one.

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Another recent deal – I saw this little Philips portable speaker at Target for $20 and wanted it, but decided to wait awhile (I love putting off purchases for some reason; I think it gives me some weird thrill). We were at Walmart yesterday and I saw it again but for $5 cheaper, so I decided to get it. Even better, it rang up $5 less than the listed price so I only paid $10 for it. Based on the reviews online it should work great (I haven’t opened it yet). I’m looking forward to trying it out on my work from home days when I listen to podcasts on my phone while I work.

What a Meathead

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My friend/co-worker and I went out to lunch two weeks ago at Meatheads. I posted this review on Yelp shortly thereafter:

I had a chicken meathead recently which was ok. However, I paid $0.50 extra for swiss cheese and it didn’t even dawn on me until later that day that they never put any cheese on my sandwich! I bet this is how they make extra moolah. Well played, Meatheads, well played, but I won’t be fooled again!

A week ago I received a message via Yelp from the owner apologizing and offering a gift card for my inconvenience. Today an envelope arrived containing a hand-written apology and a $25 gift card! I was not expecting that much for a complaint regarding $0.50. I love when businesses show they care.

Speaking of burger places, a Smashburger just opened near us and we stopped by on their “preview” night only to learn it was by invitation only. They were nice enough to give us $10 in Smashbucks just for showing up though so it wasn’t a total loss.

I’m going to get fat eating free burgers.