I don't consider myself a snob about customer service but I do hate when it's bad (click here and here) and love when it's good (click here and here). Last week, the Nordstrom at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta raised the bar.
First, to review, I am a little bit in love with 7 for All Mankind jeans. Most of my clothes come from thrift stores, outlet stores and TJ Maxx, but all my life I have had trouble finding jeans that fit me well, and 7s are they. I have three pairs, and I justify their expense because they cost me pennies on a per-wear basis. I wear these jeans to death.
My favorite pair has become threadbare with wear over the years. There are no actual holes yet, but if you hold them up to the light you can see through them. I was bemoaning this to someone who told me she'd heard you could trade in holely 7s for a new pair.
Clearly, that sounded too good to be true. But I knew we'd have access to a Nordstrom while in Atlanta, so I brought along the jeans (bought at Nordstrom.com) in case we had a chance to check out that claim.
We did. Long story short, the salespeople politely told me there was no such policy for 7 jeans, that my jeans' condition was considered normal wear and tear. I told them I completely agreed, there was no defect with the jeans, but I thought it was worth asking. (This is where it gets good.)
They asked if I had my original receipt. I did not. They asked if I had the credit card I had used to pay for the jeans. I did.
Somehow, they searched month by month through the last four years of my credit card transactions and found my purchase of these jeans. And then ... they refunded my money. $153. Cash.
I could not believe it.
Sadly, this story does not end with a picture of my awesome new replacement jeans. We had both kids with us, one of whom was melting down because it was her naptime, and it just wasn't good timing for trying on a bunch of pairs of pants. Also, I'm still carrying a little post-pregnancy-and-holidays weight, and I'd rather be back at my normal size and shape before spending that kind of money on jeans. So I walked out with the cash. But when I do replace them, it will be at Nordstrom.
I have told this story to everyone who will listen. This is why good customer service is good for the customer and for the company.
Are you listening, Walgreens?
5 comments:
Wow. Amazing! Have fun shopping when you decide to buy new jeans.<3
Nordstrom refunded a purchase from four YEARS ago?! Wow! That's basically equivalent to a trade-in.
I have trouble finding jeans I love, and hate to spend a lot of money on clothes, but I just might have to check them out. There's actually a 7 For All Mankind store about 40 minutes from here. I should go. :)
Someone told me Sears will replace clothes that kids have worn out.
http://www.mysears.com/kidvantage/
I had a similar positive experience at the same Nordstroms. My less than two year old Sevens ripped, which given my wear of no more than a few times a month for a few hours didn't seem normal, so I tried to exchange them for a new pair. A manager told me to pick out any pair of jeans I wanted as a replacement! So that's when I upgraded to an even nicer pair of jeans:) That experience has definitely encouraged me to continue shopping at Nordstroms--glad you had a good one too.
I'm so glad you blogged about this! What an awesome experience. I love that you give shout-outs to companies with good customer service :)
Post a Comment