Amazon doing customer service right
"We wanted to reassure you that your order ********* has been upgraded and dispatched Saturday December 22 via Royal Special Delivery for a delivery Monday December 24. We know that holidays can be stressful and wanted to relieve a portion of that stress by reassuring you that your package is expected to arrive in time for Christmas."
"Our system upgraded your shipment to a faster shipping method to ensure it is delivered by December 24. These upgrades are complimentary during the holiday season and you will not be charged for any additional shipping costs."
That's why I buy from Amazon without even giving it a second thought.
They won my lifetime loyalty after handling a wrinkle I took advantage of a few years ago, where I was able to buy a bunch of star wars videos...actually, I'll root out the emails. Ok here they are, in chronological order.
Context - The Register published a story that Amazon was selling the (then) new Star Wars Phantom Menace on VHS for 12p...I and 2,500 other shoppers placed large orders.
Of course, they caught the order before it shipped, but what followed was a superb example of empowered, smart customer service. I've told the following story 100s of times, and I'm a lifelong customer, based in this experience:
1) Initial order confirmation
----
From: orders@amazon.co.uk
To: Guy Dickinson
Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2000 15:41:03
50 "Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (1999)"
Liam Neeson(Primary Contributor), et al;
VHS Tape; @ GBP 0.12 each
Usually available in 24 hours
Subtotal: GBP 6.00
Giftwrap: GBP 0.00
Postage & Package: GBP 31.67
Thank you for shopping at Amazon.co.uk!
----
2) Amazon catches the mass order(s), and even set up a special email address!
----
From: special-orders@amazon.co.uk
To: Guy Dickinson
Subject: Your Amazon.co.uk Order
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2000 11:23:03
Dear Guy Dickinson,
We are contacting you, because you have recently placed an order to purchase Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace from Amazon.co.uk.
As you will no doubt have noticed, at the time of you placing your order, the price for this video was correctly displayed on our web site at 11.99 GBP. However, the price incorrectly appeared at 10 to 12 pence on the order confirmation page. The correct price now appears on the order confirmation page.
We are truly sorry for this mistake and, as a gesture of goodwill, we will dispatch to you one (1) copy of this title free of charge.
We hope this helps alleviate any inconvenience that you may have been caused. Obviously, we must reserve all of our rights in respect of this matter. We hope you understand our position on this matter and we hope you will continue to shop at Amazon.co.uk.
----
3) Ok, I'm feeling cheeky (and don't actually like the movie...)
----
From: Guy Dickinson
To: phantom-menace-order@amazon.co.uk
Subject: Re: Your Amazon.co.uk Order
re: order number: #*************
50 X star wars episode 1 vhs @ £00.12p
Thank-you very much for your kind words.
However, allow me to explain why I feel that your solution may not be entirely satisfying.
I am one of a large family of 50 assorted brothers and sisters.
We are all avid star wars fans, and imagine if you can, the sheer joy shared by myself and my beloved 49 brothers and sisters as we sat huddled around our computer screen, realising with a huge, warm glow that we could all own an individual copy of star wars for such an accessible price.
We are not a wealthy family, indeed due to the sheer unexpected population of siblings I have to contend with, it is a source of great bitterness that we have to share our toys, and wear each others' clothes. This glorious offer seemed to offer us a glint of personal possesion and pride in an otherwise shared universe.
With this in mind, you can imagine the feelings of anger and jealousy that are being directed at me by my 49 brothers and sisters, realising that I will have the only copy of "Star Wars" episode 1, and I didn't even have to pay 12p for it!!
With this in mind, I would graciously ask that I could be given an "amazon book gift certificate" instead, to whatever value you feel is appropriate.
My 49 brothers and sisters won't mind, as they can't read. Cunning, huh?
Yours sincerely,
Guy Dickinson.
----
4) They could have returned a well deserved 'fuck-off', but instead, they replied:
----
From: phantom-menace-order@amazon.co.uk
To: Guy Dickinson
Subject: Re: Your Amazon.co.uk Order
Dear Mr. Dickinson,
Thank you for your recent e-mail to Amazon.co.uk regarding "Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace".
Firstly, we would like to apologise to you and your 49 brothers and sisters for any confusion or inconvenience that may have arisen from this matter.
We are delighted to hear that you are all avid Star Wars fans, and are grateful for the opportunity to be part (albeit a minor one) of this shared experience.
We appreciate your business, and firmly believe that the rather strong emotions generated by recent events will be heightened when you nervously announce to your siblings that Amazon.co.uk have offered you a 10.00 GBP gift certificate.
This gift certificate may be used toward your next Amazon.co.uk order, and we have no doubt that you will do the brotherly thing and share the proceeds with the deserving members of your family. A good book, perhaps.
Warmest regards,
Andrew *****
Customer Service
Amazon.co.uk
Books, music and more...
----
Isn't that just bloody marvellous? Hats off to Amazon, and real human beings routing around process.
Comments
Two years ago I placed an order with amazon.fr, for delivery to the French-speaking part of Switzerland. I live in Canada and paid with my Canadian credit card; the whole thing went off without a hitch.
The package was for the child of some good friends. It arrived giftwrapped, with a gift receipt enclosed (with a reference number, but without the title and value so as not to spoil the surprise). I was reminded, as I placed the order, how few online companies really do ecommerce so well.
What really made me sit up and take notice, however, was when I spoke my friends in Switzerland on Christmas day. They told me they were surprised to receive my package at home during lunchtime. The courier informed them that Amazon had contracted with his company rather than the post office because they deliver between noon and 2pm, a time of day when most people are expected to be home.
Almost all of my international gift giving, since that day, has been done via Amazon.com (.fr, .co.uk, etc.)
Posted by: Chuck McKinnon | December 24, 2007 01:56 AM
What a great story! And the person writing the response should have been promoted to management -- or the comedy writing department -- for his in-character reply. Based on your and Chuck's experiences, I wonder, though, if the non-US experience is different than the US experience. I have a couple of friends who have sworn off Amazon completely after various problems which were compounded with poor judgment on the customer service department's part.
One friend purchased an electronic gift card for her sister, inadvertently entering an old email address. Although the email bounced to Amazon as undeliverable, they did not notify my friend. When she inquired about changing the email, she was told that the EGCs were non-transferable, even though she explained that it wasn't being transferred to a different person, but just a different email address for the same person at the same physical address. They also wouldn't convert it to a physical gift certificate. All they wound up doing was giving her a credit to her account. Not really creative nor satisfactory. After a couple more unexplained delays of further shipments, she won't buy from them.
My wife ordered a DVD set for a niece in mid-December, when they were still saying there would be delivery by Christmas and didn't hear any more about it after the shipping notice. On the day before Christmas Eve, the package hadn't arrived, so my wife went and purchased it for much more money at Target. Right before we left for our holiday travel to relatives on Christmas Eve, the package arrived. My wife was able to return the Amazon copy to Target, but she was a little disappointed that -- unlike Guy's experience -- they had made the holidays more stressful. It likely wasn't Amazon's fault, since mail is notoriously slow and delayed at holiday time, but... their customer service didn't do anything to avoid the situation in advance. Anticipating potential pitfalls and adjusting processes to alleviate them is the hallmark of good service which you both experienced, but neither my friend nor I have benefited from.
Posted by: evan | January 2, 2008 05:17 PM