Good news for a change
January 21 2009 by Ellen Roseman
I’m inspired by the spirit of optimism in the United States after the Obama inauguration. Maybe life will be better for ordinary citizens with a leader who really cares about their welfare.
For example, the new U.S. president specicially thanked the waitstaff at yesterday’s luncheon and said he was aware how difficult it must be to serve a room full of politicians.
Here are a few stories of large companies coming through for customers — with a little prodding from outside agitators.
The Home Depot case is about unreliable advice given by store staff. I wasn’t sure HD would agree to pay for the damage, but it eventually decided in favour of the customer.
The Miele case is about high-end kitchen appliances that failed to endure. I went to bat for the parents of a personal finance blogger, who expressed his gratitude here.
Jeff
Jan 21 2009
I built a beautiful large cedar deck and took great steps to improve its look and longevity.
It looked great until I applied Behr’s Natural 500 Stain, which I had talked about with a Home Depot salesperson.
The product has a warranty of 4 years on decks and 6 years on vertical surfaces.
We discussed the project and the application and my $15,000 deck is ruined.
I’ve had several contractors in to look at the problem. All said the Behr product was applied properly, but failed, and Home Depot’s advice was part of the problem.
Their estimates are running at $2,000-$3,000 and I don’t think that I should bear those costs. One of these companies needs to own up to their warranty/responsiblity.
Behr later made a $2,000 offer and I accepted. I am still out of pocket $700, which I felt Home Depot should
be accountable for, as they were the ones that gave the wrong information that led to this problem.
When we asked if we needed to use Behr’s #63 cleaner prior to staining, since the wood was brand new and would be freshly sanded, they said no.
Home Depot said it’s not responsible for this and would not do anything for me. I am extremely angry and feel that I have no other direction but to go to small claims court.
I think Home Depot is getting off quite easy, since in fact, it was their paint experts who said we could skip the step that Behr is saying was the problem.
————————————————————
From Tiziana Baccega, Home Depot spokeswoman:
Hi Ellen,
I just wanted to let you know that I just got confirmation that the store will be sending the customer a cheque for the $700.
————————————————————
From Jeff:
I can’t thank you enough, Ellen. I really do think that you presence made them act differently.
In fact, in talking with the HD store manager, I told her that I left 2 calls for her that were never returned. She didn’t accept responsibility for not returning the call.
Hearing from her Corporate HQ is what made her address my complaint instead of ignoring it.
So your guidance is what I am thankful for and we hope that someone can Pay it Forward for you.
Preet
Jan 21 2009
I was visiting my parents in Vancouver in early December before we all went on a trip to India together for the holidays. While I was at their home, I noticed that all the dishes were piled up in the sink.
It turns out they have some serious problems with their Miele dishwasher. They’ve had numerous service calls and my mother tells me that the service people have said on more than one occasion that the unit should be replaced.
My parents have been in a one-sided war with Miele. Here is the most recent letter (which has yet to be responded to almost six weeks later).
Mr. Jan Heck
Miele Limited
161 Four Valley Drive
Vaughan, Ontario L4K 4V8
Dear Mr. Heck,
I write to express my extreme frustration with the level of professionalism from the Miele service department. After leaving many messages, we heard nothing from any member of your management for over 2 weeks! What kind of customer care is that?
Needless to say, we are neither impressed by your service nor by the quality of your appliances (for which we paid a premium, expecting high reliability) and the exorbitant cost of fixing them every time.
We purchased all Miele appliances, thinking we were buying the best appliances in the world when we remodelled our kitchen. Clearly your marketing is effective but it is misleading your customers. Your products are far from defect-free, something that is not expected in the 21st century for expensive high-end appliances.
From the very first day, the dishwasher has had problems: the red drain light keeps coming on every time the energy saving cycle is used, the disc on the side keeps dropping off in mid-cycle and, though the intake drain is always clear, the light remains on and the machine cuts off in mid-cycle, creating a mess.
We have had service calls at least three times since the machine was bought but the problem persists.
Every service call’s cost is in the hundreds of dollars. If all the money we have spent so far on these calls is added up, it would pay for a brand new Maytag machine that would work without a glitch for at least 10 years!
Our Miele coffee machine is just as bad; it has required numerous service calls. The whole heating unit has been already replaced once, again with considerable cost. I could buy a brand new counter-top fully automatic Saeco for all the money spent fixing the Miele.
The latest estimate for fixing both machines adds up to over $1,000, including parts and labour (the labour flat fee is being charged twice, even though there will be only one service call!). I believe the total we have spent on service calls since day one for both products is well over $2,000.
We certainly did not expect this poor level of reliability and an unresponsive service department when we purchased our appliances after a lot of market research. I am most upset and disappointed with Miele and feel that my wife and I should be properly compensated, not only for the shabby appliances but also for the inconvenience of losing a day of work for every service call.
We are both professionals with full-time jobs and expect your company to back up your products by honouring the warranties and ensuring excellent customer service. We do not expect to come home to do the dishes by hand every night while the expensive, world-famous Miele dishwasher sits, red light blinking, totally unusable.
I fully expect that both appliances will be replaced with new ones to our satisfaction without charge. Failure to achieve a satisfactory resolution of this problem would force me to contact the head office in Germany to express my total disgust with these products and your lack of customer focus and poor after sales service.
Needless to say, I will not be recommending your products to friends and colleagues after this experience.
I look forward to your reply.
————————————————————
From Preet:
Within days, a brand new espresso machine was delivered and installed - free of charge.
They also had their choice of any new dishwasher for $800 - when the average cost for such a unit from this company was closer to $3,000. It was delivered and installed without any additional cost as well.
My parents are through the roof happy. The only thing that could make my mother happier is if I gave her grandchildren!
ST
Jan 21 2009
Hello Ellen, I was hoping you could help with what my husband and I thought was initially a small thing but it has aggravated us to no end.
Since Jan. 7, we have been trying to get Dell to honour an ad that has appeared daily, including in the Toronto Star.
It states: “Get a Microsoft Zune 4GB portable media player with the purchase of a DELL PC with Windows Vista Home Premium and Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007. Offer ends January 30, 2009.”
We went ahead and ordered the PC and have not been able to get any DELL agent who knows about this ad. We faxed the ad three times to various numbers supplied by DELL personnel.
After a number of phone calls, we have received various reassurances from various DELL personnel for a resolution within 24 - 48 hours and still nothing. The last DELL rep we talked to went so far as to say that he was “a man of his word”.
Please help. We would be forever grateful.
P.S. I have submitted a complaint to Advertising Standards of Canada.
————————————————————
From Janet Fabri, spokeswoman for Dell Canada:
Hi Ellen,
I have confirmed this is a valid offer from Dell Canada. Be assured that a member of our Consumer Sales Leadership team will be in touch with ST to resolve this issue quickly.
Thanks, as always, for bringing this situation to our attention.
All the best,
Janet
————————————————————
From ST:
Ellen - Thank you so much for your very prompt reply and help. Within the hour, I received a call from a Dell sales manager.
He says he’ll put an order in for our Zune player and has promised to chase down all the parties so that this doesn’t happen again.
You are great!
BL
Jan 21 2009
I’ve spent a year being patient and I’ve had enough.
On May 27, 2005, I purchased a Maytag 18 cubic foot white fridge at the Brick in St. Catharines, Ont. At this time, given that I had to purchase other necessary appliances, I couldn’t afford to purchase the extended warranty beyond the first two years of ownership.
Two years later, in July of 2007, the middle, main shelf collapsed as a result of a crack in the plastic frame that held it in place.
In addition, upon careful inspection, I also found a similar crack in the supporting framework of the lower shelf which supports the vegetable and fruit drawers.
You should know that I live by myself and hence the refrigerator does not get subjected to the regular wear and tear that it might get if used by a family.
I contacted Whirlpool and I was told initially that these pieces were not covered since the warranty had expired. After speaking to another individual, I was told they could be covered — but not the service call to send a technician to see if what I was stating was indeed the case.
Since this time, I have had a technician out and the parts ordered. It has been very interesting in that I have had to work with a fridge that has a gaping space inside. When I have company, it tends to be rather problematic, especially at Christmas.
I have had to wedge a piece of cardboard under one of my veggie drawers to keep the glass cover level to some extent and I have to ensure that I don’t overload the bottom shelf. Since this particular shelf houses the veggie and fruit drawers, the cardboard insert does help. However, I now have a crack in the back corner of one of the drawers, given that things are not totally leveled.
I have contacted Whirlpool and they have ordered the part, but say that they will not cover this problem, although it has happened as a result of the fact that I have been waiting almost a year since I first contacted them.
I have phoned on so many occasions and they tell me that parts are on back order. The message is that the parts should be in soon or in three weeks. I get different people each time, of course.
I am beginning to wonder if they have just discontinued my particular model and that the “back order” response is what they think will pacify me until I get tired of the calling and struggling with the lack of space in my fridge.
So, here I am, totally out of patience with nowhere to turn. I did indicate to Whirlpool that I was considering contacting the media about their poor service record. The reply was, in my own words, that I didn’t have a leg to stand on since they had ordered the parts but they weren’t available.
I really cannot understand how a large company like this has so much difficulty providing customer satisfaction in a timely fashion. I believe that it is false advertising for Maytag appliances to be advertised as they have been in the past in terms of their reliability, when indeed Whirlpool has taken this brand into their company production.
If I had money to throw around, I would definitely purchase a different fridge. However, unfortunately for me, this is not the case. Consequently, I seem doomed to documenting phone calls to Whirlpool while I struggle with such minimal space in my relatively brand new fridge.
————————————————————
Six months later:
Just a short note to thank you for your efforts on my behalf. As of tomorrow, Whirlpool will be exchanging my fridge, not without my having to pay some money for its usage to date.
However, I am pleased with the resolution and have you to thank for that since you initiated the process.
The efforts you make on the troubled consumer’s part are most admirable and so very needed and appreciated.
BC
Jan 21 2009
Here’s a letter I wrote to Robert Comstock, Senior Vice-President of Canada Home Services, Direct Energy.
Dear Mr. Comstock:
As you have invited your customers to give you feedback on the service you provide, I will do so here.
I live in a single family dwelling in the City of Toronto. I am a customer of Direct Energy, as I rent an electrically heated water tank from you (a rental arrangement that has been in place with you or with the previous operators, Toronto Hydro, for about 26 years).
I have been without hot water since Friday, Jan. 9. I called Direct Energy (DE) on Friday evening when we discovered we had no hot water. Here is the chronology of events since that time.
An appointment was booked for 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, Jan. 10. A technician came, investigated (including confirming that there was current coming into the tank) and, because the tank appeared to be beginning to heat up again, he concluded that there was likely a temporary problem with the hydro lines outside my house and that the problem had resolved itself.
By late Saturday afternoon, there was still no hot water. I called DE and we booked another appointment for Sunday, Jan. 11 between 10 am and 2 pm.
A technician came and again checked that there was current and also checked to see if the thermostat was operating. He concluded that at least one of the heating elements was dead and said he would call in to his dispatcher to advise that I should have a new water tank.
Because my tank was an 80-gallon tank, he said it might take longer to get a replacement than would be the case if I needed a 40-gallon or 60-gallon tank.
I said that I was reluctant to take a smaller tank because when I previously had a smaller tank, we kept running out of hot water — which is why we chose to have an 80-gallon tank installed in 1993. I understood that the dispatcher would pass that request on to the appropriate department.
When I did not hear anything from the dispatcher, I called her office at about 8:15 am on Monday, Jan. 12 and left a message. I didn’t hear from her, so I called again around 10:45 am.
Ultimately, we connected at about 11:10, at which time the dispatcher told me that she couldn’t look after an 80-gallon tank replacement, as it had to be handled by your small commercial department (SCD) and that she would send an email to the SCD. She told me that she could not give me a telephone number of the SCD that I could call if I did not hear from them.
She had no explanation as to why nothing had been done by DE from the time that the Sunday service technician had contacted her to advise her that I needed an 80 gallon tank.
I waited until about 2:30 pm on Monday for the SCD to call me. At that time, I called DE and spoke to someone at one of your call centres (in Florida) who said the response times is normally 4 hours so I should wait until after that time had elapsed.
At about 4:15 pm on Monday, I called the DE call centre again. The person I spoke to apologized, gave me a telephone number for the SCD and said he couldn’t understand why the dispatcher did not give me the number. He said he would also escalate the matter to customer service.
I called the phone number I was given for the SCD and got a recording that said DE values my business and promised if I left a message, someone would call me back within 48 hours. (I hope you are as shocked as I was at this contradiction in terms.)
To add insult to injury, when I tried to leave a message, I got a recording that said the individual’s mail box was no longer receiving messages and to call back later.
I called back DE and eventually got a different number to call. I believe that by that time it was about 7:30 pm on Monday. The person I spoke to gave me a site ID and another telephone number and said I should give that information to the person who answered the phone.
When I called that number and provided the person who answered with the site ID, she said there was a digit missing from the site ID and she couldn’t look anything up on my file. Ultimately, with my home phone number, she was able to pull up my file.
I said I was prepared to settle for a 60-gallon tank, as the 80-gallon tank was causing unacceptable delays in resolving my problem with having no hot water. She told me that because the tank to be removed was an 80-gallon tank, there was nothing she could do and that it had to be handled by the SCD.
She passed the matter on to the SCD who, she said, would call me the following morning. I believe that this person also gave me the Executive Support telephone number to call.
I called the Executive Support line on Tuesday morning and was told by a woman there that she would have the SCD call me that afternoon. How this was an improvement over where things stood the previous evening was a mystery to me.
I asked to speak to her supervisor. She said that was you and that you could be reached only by mail or email. I began to compose an email to you setting out the sorry tale when I received a phone call from an installer (this was at about 9:30 am) who said he could deliver a new 80-gallon tank that morning, if someone would be home.
I stayed home from work until 1:00 pm, when the swap was finished. The contractor told me it would take 2 hours to get a full tank of hot water. I decided to stay home so that I could take a shower. At 3:00 pm, the water was still cold.
I waited until 9:00 pm on Tuesday, thinking perhaps the tank needed more time to heat up. At that time, the water had reached room temperature. I called back the Executive Support telephone number that evening to try to get some satisfaction. I was offered a daytime window on Wednesday, Jan. 14, but I had clients to meet at work, so I instead asked for a 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm appointment window. That was confirmed.
On my way home for the Wednesday appointment, I picked up a message that the water tank installation contractor had left for me that morning. Apparently, DE had been in touch with him to let him know that we still had no hot water. I called him back and he told me, based on the chronology of events and the various symptoms, that the problem was likely an electrical one and suggested that it might be Toronto Hydro’s responsibility if the line coming into my house was defective. (I have a flat rate electrical box.)
I called the Executive Support line shortly after 5:00 pm to relate this conversation to them and asked if they would contact Toronto Hydro for me. I was told by the person I spoke to that DE does not do that.
I said I was concerned that if the DE technician did not show up until late in the evening and found nothing wrong with the water heater, it might be too late for a call to Toronto Hydro to inspect their line the same evening. The person I spoke to suggested that if she were in my shoes, she would call Toronto Hydro in any event to ask them to check the line.
I contacted Toronto Hydro, told them I had no hot water and that I had just had a new tank installed and that it appeared the problem might be with the line coming into the house. They promised to send someone out and they did so at about 8:00 pm on Wednesday evening. They checked the outside line and told me there was load being called for and the current was strong; that is, there was no problem with the hydro line outside.
I called the Executive Support line at about 8:25 pm on Wednesday evening to advise them that Toronto Hydro had checked the line and there was nothing wrong with it and suggested that maybe they should send an electrician.
The person I spoke to pointed out that there was a service call booked and suggested waiting until the technician arrived to check things out. I expressed my doubts that, with only 35 minutes left in the appointment window, it seemed unlikely that the technician would show up. I was told to be patient and to wait until 9:30 pm as the technicians were heavily booked, moving from call to call.
At 9:30 pm, no technician had shown up. I called back the Executive Support line and the person I spoke to put me on hold while she checked into the matter.
She came back on the line to tell me that the person who booked the appointment did not do it properly and in fact the appointment was never received at the other end. I asked whether I could still have someone come and was told that there was no-one in the SCD at that hour and that the best that could be done would be to have someone from the SCD call me in the morning at 8:30 am.
Of course, I have appointments all day on Thursday, as I do work for a living, so I it is most unlikely that I can arrange to be home on Thursday for an appointment until the evening.
That is where things now stand at 11:15 pm on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
Would you care to tell me how much longer I should have to wait to have this problem solved? Being at my wits’ end, I have decided that perhaps someone like Ellen Roseman of the Toronto Star might like to hear my story. I am copying her on this email.
————————————————————
Hi Ellen. It is certainly a credit to you and your reputation that my email prompted DE’s “media guy” to contact you so quickly.
While DE’s reputation for emergency service remains in the dumpster in my book, I can tell you that we now have hot water — with no credit, by the way, being due to DE, as my son reported to me that he was able to take a hot shower in mid-morning on Thursday.
Nonetheless, to let you know what DE did, they called the electrician that they regularly use and I was able to meet him at home on Thursday when a previously arranged lunch-date was serendipitously cancelled. The electrician diagnosed the problem as a Toronto Hydro one.
While there is no proof that this happened, evidence suggests that the TH crew who came out either advertently or inadvertently got the flat-water rate control box to start functioning again (although if they had found something and fixed it, they certainly did not inform me).
I got three calls from Andrea Higgins, two before the rendezvous with the electrician and one after. She’s an executive support administrator with DE. I also had an email reply from her at 10:30 am on Thursday, saying she would look into the issue and respond as soon as possible.
In my last call to her, I said DE could make me a happy camper if they gave me a generous credit on my water heater bill going forward. She said she would get back to me.
GG
Jan 22 2009
I want to extend my appreciation to the Cruise Desk staff at Travelocity for their outstanding efforts on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009,in resolving an issue related to a Carnival Cruise booked for March 15, 2009.
It is a rare circumstance to work with such professionalism, calm and understanding.
Michael, the customer service agent on the end of the line, went above and beyond to reassure us that Travelocity was not abandoning us in our ordeal of being booked on a different ship than our travelling companions.
He worked with individuals at the Cruise Desk to both understand the problem, understand how the mistake occurred and cover costs associated with the error.
We do not hesitate to criticize individuals and companies in the service and travel industry when something goes wrong. In this case, the thing that went wrong was resolved – and I feel it important to take the time to express my gratitude. You can be assured my future travel plans will include Travelocity.
Please note, I am cc’ing Ellen Roseman of the Toronto Star, an advocate for consumers who I am sure does not always hear the good news stories.
SP
Jan 22 2009
Two thumbs up for Roadmaster USA in Eatontown, N.J.
My license plate mounted camera for my backup system leaked and the picture on the dash mounted screen became blurred.
I called them. They said send us the defective unit.
The new camera arrived and is installed and it works again.
Great customer relations.
We need to hear more of these good news stories.
This is the unit:
http://www.thisnext.com/item/C2798770/453BFA26/Roadmaster-USA-VR3-Back-Up
DQ
Jan 22 2009
After reading your columns, I thought you might like a “good news” story in the major appliance area.
About 3 weeks ago, our family washer started leaking. I’m a do-it-youselfer, so after a couple of false steps I was able to decide that a ceramic seal in the pump was cracked.
The machine is a Sears and so old that it is branded Simpsons Sears.
I phoned Sears parts and was informed that it was made in 1982, based on model number.
They did have 3 pumps in stock and 2 were at their Belleville parts and service store. Since I live near Cobourg, I drove to Belleville the next day and got the pump I needed.
So for $60 plus tax and some gas, I had the washer running the next day.
I was very impressed with the fact that they still stocked parts for a washer this old.
John Vermeer
Jan 31 2009
Hi Ellen,
I want to add Roots to the list of companies you should know about who take care of dissatisfied customers very effectively.
After many trials and tribulations with a Roots watch, I had returned it to the customer service department with a note suggesting they keep it, as it was and never had worked well. I mentioned using the story as an example for my business students hahahaha. I received a letter from Robert Sarner at Roots expressing deep concern, and with a $100 gift card enclosed.
While I take his comment suggesting that mine was apparently the only Roots watch to ever have had a problem with a grain of salt, I do appreciate the postive response.
Take care,
John Vermeer