Advantage - Great Service

I'm feeling a bit guilty about my last blog article (or should I say rant) which as you may recall, was aimed at the 'Stupid' Store.

It's not that they didn't deserve it. In fact, I've had occasion to be in touch since the 'cans' incident and they were no more helpful than they'd been on my last visit.

You see, I was craving Dungeness crab, as one does, and called to see if they had any in stock. I'll admit it - this was less about me giving them second chance and more about my need for a reasonably priced crab fix.

In any event, after the usual call transfer delays, I finally got through to someone in the fish department who informed me they had crabs (so to speak) but refused to tell me the price per pound. Apparently, it's their policy not to give prices over the phone. No doubt this one was written by the same lamebrain who can up with the 24 can return policy.

But I digress. The reason I am feeling guilty is because not because I comparison shop, or because despite the cholesterol count, I love fresh steamed crab dipped in hot butter. The reason I am feeling guilty is because I realize I tend to write more about bad customer experiences than good ones and I know that sharing the occasional example of a great customer experience might be refreshing, if not helpful. The problem is that in my experience great customer experiences are all too rare.

Fortunately, Jim Foster, a good friend of mine was lucky enough to have one and kind enough to allow me to share it with you.

What follows is Jim's story:

We had the misfortune to have our hot water tank pack it in on Tuesday. Our first call was to the company who supplied it, who suggested they could come in about 6 days. Not prepared to wait that long between showers, our second call was to Advantage. They could come between 3 and 5 pm that same day! Needless to say, we booked the appointment.

To make a long story short, I received a call from the office when the van was dispatched, the technician gave a firm quote before doing the job, then did it in less than the estimated time and at what I believe was a reasonable cost.

Today we received a follow up letter from the President of the company, thanking us for the business, asking if we were happy with the service and advising us of what to do if we had any problems in the future. It also contained a copy of their service philosophy, a detailed explanation of their cost structure and an invitation to drop by for a coffee if we happen to be in the neighborhood!

Now that's great service, something so very rare these days!So there you have it. Doesn't it warm your heart to know that while rare, there are still some companies out there delivering great service? And if you happen to live in the Greater Vancouver area, here's a bonus - now you know who to call if your hot water tank ever decides to pack it in.

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