The Value of Communication

Do you ever wonder why bother writing to a company? Let's be honest do the big companies really care what we think? Well I've never been afraid to write when something isn't quite right or something really exceeds my expectations. This is probably from my courses at school that drove home if you don't know why your customers are leaving how can you fix it.

I've had a couple situation where I've written because a product hasn't lived up to my expectations and have been pleasantly surprised by the results.

The first was Leapfrog! Rachel had a fridge farm, but one of the magnets was always weak. Eventually it wouldn't stick at all. I wrote to Leapfrog and they responded that they would replace the piece at no charge. Actually they had to replace the entire animal set. The set didn't arrive as expected so I sent a followup e-mail. The response was quick and since they ran out of the animal kits they sent a whole new farm.

The second email was to Lego about a cracked lid on a Christmas git. As it happened Lego called me for more information and since the stet is no longer made they sent a $20 gift card to replace a broken lid!

Back in April we purchased Rachel an Innate Bottle at Mountain Equipment Co-op in Burlington. I was looking forward to using it, because it seemed virtually indestructible. Howler in early June we noticed the drinking oval was starting to rip. I sent an email to Innate asking how to prevent further damage on a Sunday evening and as of the next Monday afternoon they apologized for the problem and sent a new lid in the mail.

These quick responses make me more inclined to deal with these three companies in the future!

As for Disney however the response was very different and I am very disappointed.

We purchased an Ariel Under Water Garden water bottle for Rachel at the Disney Store in Hamilton. Whithin a month of having the bottle issues surfaced. The bottle has a purple lid and a large chunk is missing as well as a crack up the side. Since the product is aimed at children I was really disappointed by the lack of durability. I emailed the Disney Store and the response was basically we can't do anything and you need to travel to Hamilton to resolve the issue! Not a positive interaction with a large well known multinational organization.

My disappointment extends beyond this to include frustration at cash. See the Hamilton store doesn't except Mastercard and you didn't find out until you get to cash. The last time I was in the store the sign was obscured by shelf displays. While I realize the store has a right to make decisions I would like to know before I am caught off guard at cash!