Lowe’s Customer Service Says No Problem To My Problem
It was intended to be a quick Saturday trip to Lowe’s (@Lowes) to pick up a single light bulb for my son’s little fish tank. Of course, no trip including two kids under the age of five can ever be classified as quick. We found our light bulb, paid, got dinner and drove home. Later that evening I wanted to install the new light bulb only to realize I couldn’t find it anywhere. In the hustle and bustle of putting kids in the car, I had left that light bulb in the shopping basket. Ugh, don’t you hate that?
Four dollars is four dollars so I decided to call Lowe’s customer service. After virtually no wait, I got Greg on the phone and explained my situation to him. Without hesitation he coolly said “Just bring in the receipt any time, tell customer service the problem and tell them Greg said you could just go get a new one.” What a relief.
So the following day I went to Lowe’s, receipt in hand, and the lady in customer service said, “Go ahead and get the light bulb you need, bring it up here and I’ll check you out.” The process really was that simple. Lowe’s didn’t once question whether or not I could be trusted. They believed my story and the process was about as quick and painless as it possibly could have been.
Great customer service is refreshing and infectious isn’t it? Remember that and remember to appreciate the good. As customers it’s important reinforce good behavior until all the bad behavior is gone. Hey, it could happen. Thank you to Lowe’s customer service for being awesome!
[custom_author=admin]
As a customer support agent it is sometimes a problem to stay objective when you talk all day to people that have a problems, or people that try to commit fraud. You start thinking that this is the new normal. After few times that you are getting burned, and you will get burned, as an organization and as an individual, the tendency is to become more protective and rigid.
It is funny that the first time I have seen happening was during my Army service at the Army Doctor’s office. Imagine that as a doctor in an army vase, all you see is fake patients trying to avoid some unpleasant duty by making up some bogus illness. After a while you convince yourself that everyone who comes in is healthy, no matter what the symptoms are.
Those who suffer are the honest people who are really sick or, in Jeremy’s case, those who just forgot the bulb at the shop.
If an organization is able to keep that support rigidity in check, it means they are doing something right.
Thanks
Alon
This is a really great point Alon. It really is difficult to continue to trust customers when you get burned by them. I know for me one thing that helps is that even as I move further away from the front lines is to still remember our customers are people and to periodically talk with them. If you dehumanize your customer, I think you start too lose that rigidity. Our customers are people, some with more baggage that we want to take on but by and large, the majority are to be trusted and treated like human beings.
Jeremy
Ya know, reading this restored my faith in retail store customer service. Honestly, if this would have happened to me, I wouldn’t even bother calling or talking to them. I would have just figured they wouldn’t do anything and I’d go back to the store and buy another light bulb. But, your experience is truly impressive and next time I’m in a similar situation, I might just see if they’ll actually help me out. And of course, I’ll write about it 🙂
I already told you this but figured I’d write it too. Writing this blog has changed my mentality a bit as a customer. For $4 I wondered whether it was worth the time but then thought to myself, “Let’s see how they handle it.” Either way, I have something to write about on my blog. I feel like an independent, not for profit secret shopper these days.
I am renovating my house. I needed 53 of a certain kind of cabinet pull. I was helped by a young man named Johann Nevarez at the Lowe’s at 84th and Thunderbird in Peoria. He had to special order them after not being able to find enough in their other stores. It took a few days, but not due to any lack of effort on his part. He kept on top of it, made several calls on my behalf, and kept in frequent communication with me until they came in. When they did come in, he put my sale together, made me several house keys, and made sure my check out was done correctly and swiftly. Well done, Johann! I appreciate the great service!
That is such a cool story. Thank you so much for sharing, Jeff!