Shout Out To Winder Dairy

I have blogged several times before about my disappointment in the state of customer service these days. I have griped about how employees don't smile or say hello to you, how they talk to other employees while they're ringing you up, how you can't get through on the phone when you call customer service for help, or how even when you finally do, companies don't actually want to help you or give you the benefit of the doubt any more.

THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE POSTS.

This post is a post to give props for outstanding customer service. I know, I know, it's like a Christmas miracle! But it's the truth. Here's how it all went down.

I've been a customer of Winder Dairy for about 5 years. I love that they deliver right to my door, I love that their milk and eggs are hormone free, I love that they have a huge variety of fresh and ready-made products, and I love that they deliver right to my door. Did I mention that they deliver to my door? Anywho, I started getting more than just milk and eggs over the last year. They have good bread, good produce, and in a pinch I'll also get things like yogurt, sour cream, cheese, juice, and even pizza from them.

Well, last week I decided to try a new bread they offered. 10 Grain. Big Daddy said he'd had a really good multi-grain bread in a sandwich shop recently, and, coming from a 99.9% white-bread-eater, I knew this was big news. So I thought I'd try to find a bread like the one he had. So I got the one from Winder (which is made by Paradise Bakery, incidentally). Well, it was a real disappointment. I had expected a nice hearty, dense whole wheat bread with bits of sunflower seeds and oats and other stuff throughout. Instead what I got was fluffy, flimsy WHITE BREAD with a few seeds and things in it. It wasn't at all what I had imagined and didn't remotely live up to Big Daddy's expectations. So I went to the website to leave some user feedback on the bread (I’m a big believer in user feedback and reviews. I find them invaluable in choosing items online so I try to do my duty and help others out in return).

Imagine my surprise when, less than a week later, the phone rang and it was Winder Dairy calling. The polite girl on the phone said that she wanted to thank me for leaving my review of the 10 Grain Bread. She was sorry that I didn’t like it and would pass my comments on to the quality control people. She hoped I would continue to try new things and leave comments to they could improve their products.

HOW NICE WAS THAT? I will tell you: VERY nice. In this world where no company or representative of any company gives a hoot about what you think or even cares if they keep you as a customer, it’s amazing to find someone who not only cares about what you said about their product, but who takes the time to CALL YOU and THANK YOU in person for leaving your feedback, even when the feedback was negative! Now THAT is customer service.

If I weren’t already completely in love with Winder Dairy for the fact that they have always had superb customer service, this would have tipped the scales. As it is, every time I’ve ever called, I have talked with exceptionally polite, respectful, eager to please people who have immediately resolved my issues and made sure I’m happy. Plus, their food is delicious and reasonably priced. Even when some things are higher priced than the grocery store, I save tons of money every month by not having to run to the store every other day to buy “just a loaf of bread” (as I leave the store $50 later) or “just a gallon of milk” (as I leave $75 later). Yes, I’m a true fan. A loyal customer. There isn’t much incentive that can out-do really good customer service.

Plus, did I mention that they deliver right to your door?

Going The Extra Mile

I know I've ranted commented on the state of customer service these days at least once or twice before, but I got a new one today that I thought was noteworthy.

So first the background. I got an iPod Touch for my birthday. And after dropping it once or twice, I decided it would be wise to get some sort of skin for it, to protect it. Also, Big Daddy has an iPod Touch, so the skin would also serve to differentiate the two. When I searched on Amazon, I found a skin I liked, and it came with a screen protector and neck strap too. I thought the screen protector was a good idea. And the neck strap, well, I couldn't think of a specific use, but I thought perhaps it might come in handy. So I ordered the trio. It came in about a week. The skin was about as I'd expected. The screen protector was much too wily for me and I couldn't get it on without bubbles. But that was my bad. Then came the neck strap. I opened it up and then picked up my iPod to attach it. Hmmmm...where does it go? There was no place on the skin to attach it, and the skin wasn't tight enough anyway. That kind of pull would have detached the skin right away. And I couldn't find anywhere in the iPod itself to wrap the little cord around. I turned it over and over, but nothing presented itself. So I fired off this email to the company I bought it from (via Amazon) called bestpricecenter.com:

Hi, I received an iPod touch skin and neckstrap from you. However, I cannot figure out where or how to attach the neckstrap to the iPod. Can yougive me help with this? Thank you.

-Arianne Thompson

And here is the response I got back today...

Dear Customer,

Your I-pod should have some kind of hook on it. You can hook up the neckstrap on the hook.

Thanks,

customer service team

Bestpricecenter.com

So what you're telling me is, you have a whole TEAM of people in your customer service center, and yet none of you know if my iPod Touch has a hook. It should, but you're not really sure. And rather than investigate this product you sell and how, exactly, it works with the product you have sold it for, you just sent me off a notice saying that, if the hook exists, I should be able to hook the neck strap to it. THANKS. Thanks a TON! Wow, that was brilliant logic. I am so impressed, not only with the spectacular design of the product (which may or may not actually attach to my product), but also your amazing powers of deduction. And you have really impressed me with your interest in my problem and making things better. By the way, my name isn't "Customer." It's "Arianne Thompson" as I said in my letter to you. But then, actually addressing your email to me would have required you to look at the original email, and looking for things is, we both know, not your strength.

Well, never fear, I'll keep looking for that elusive hook on my iPod. And when I find it, rest assured, your neck strap will not be on it. It's already in my local landfill. Thanks for nothing.

Service Without a Smile

Can I just bitch for a second? What is it with these days and customer service? Or a lack thereof? Why is it you can't get anyone who is serving you in a store to actually talk to you, say "How are you today?" "How can I help you?" or even "Thank you?" They are fine to talk to EACH OTHER while they should be giving you customer service, but not to actually talk to you, the customer. Has it gotten worse lately, or am I just getting old and crotchety enough to notice?

I'll give you an example. I was exchanging something at Wal-Mart today and this was how it went down:
Me: Hi, I need to exchange this lipstick.
Lady: _______________________
A few second later, Me: Here is the reciept.
Lady: ________________________
30 seconds later, Me: They stopped making my favorite color so I'm trying to find a replacement shade.
Lady: Oh, I see you're drinking a small Mt.Dew today!
(No, she was not talking to me. She was talking to another employee who was sitting on a bench in the customer service area, taking her lunch break.)
Lady (to me this time): Is there anything wrong with it?
Me: No, just not the right color.
Lady: _________________________
30-45 seconds later, Lady: The difference is 36 cents.
I start looking for some change as the lady carries on a converation with other employee over my shoulder.
I hold out the money.
She takes it.
She holds out my bag.
I take it.
I wait for any comment from this lady.
I look right at her waiting for a "here you go" or "thank you, come again."
Nothing.

I ALMOST said, "Jolene, no offense but you seriously need to work on your customer service skills. Try talking to your CUSTOMER instead of the other employee." But I didn't. There was a line of about 8 people behind me and I'm sure they wouldn't have appreciated me dilly-dallying. But I was so ticked. Not a single word of friendly banter. And she wasn't 17 either. She was in her late 40's--she should have known better. I know what you're thinking, it was Wal-mart, what do I expect from the dregs of society. But that was only typical of the service you get just about anywhere these days. Employees can't be bothered to actually smile, say please or thank you, or actually make small-talk with their customers. But they have NO problem chit chatting with each other while they "help" you. They can talk to the person behind or in front of them in the next check stand like you're not even there, but heaven help them if they have to stop long enough to say "here you go" when they hand you your reciept. I even had a guy at Costco a few weeks ago complaining, right there in front of me, to another employee about how crazy the last customer had been. He went on and on about how the guy wanted to check out without his membership card and how that was so not the way Costco works, etc. I'm sorry, but that is SO tacky to talk badly about a customer IN FRONT OF the next customer. TAKE IT TO THE BREAK ROOM, PEOPLE! Again, I just about found the manager to say, You need to teach your employees how to talk to their current customers, not each other. And especially if they have something bad to say, they need to deal with it privately, not in front of all the other customers. But again, I didn't. Should I have? Do we need to collectively stand up to these terrible employees? Or is it just me? Is anyone else bugged by the disintigration of customer service lately?