Zappos understands what their customers want. They get it.
I’ve bought several things from them. They offer free shipping on everything, both to you and return shipping if you need to return something. They have 24/7 customer service, via email or phones. They let you keep things up to 365 days before returning them (they do have to be in brand-new condition, but still!).
But all that is just window dressing, the frosting on the cake.
Yesterday, I bought a purse from them. They upgraded my shipping to overnight – for free – so it got here today. I tried it out, decided it’s too tall (I’m insanely picky), and started the return process. They said if I opted to take store credit, they’d give me free overnight shipping on my next purchase as well. Since my next purchase was to be immediate (my second choice of purse), I went for that. The site said that once UPS informed them that the package was on its way back, they’d credit my account.
But then I checked on my second choice purse, and found that there were only three left. Not wanting it to go away before getting my credit, I decided to give them a call and see what we could do – expecting them to politely tell me there wasn’t anything they could do, so sorry, good luck!
Not only did I get the nicest customer service rep ever, and not only did he talk to me about silly movies and music and how much we both love Austin, he immediately switched my credit around, ordered the second purse, had it overnighted, and credited my card the $5 difference, with only one very polite request for me to drop the first purse in the mail at my earliest convenience. Wham, bam, done in three minutes.
Holy shit.
This is excellent customer service. Above and beyond. They’ve always been good to me via email, and this was the first time I’ve talked to a rep on the phone. He was so nice to me, I actually felt a little sad that I never had to call them before.
Not your typical feeling after dealing with customer service.
So what have I done? I’ve talked up the company to all my friends. I gush about them constantly. I’ve bought from them multiple times. And now I’ve written a post in my public blog, singing their praises.
And when I discovered that their prices are a little higher than other sites? I didn’t even care. I’m willing to pay a lot more for the guarantee of excellent, dependable customer service. And I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one who feels that way.
Yeah, I’d say Zappos gets it.
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I will check them out.
Oooooooh, they carry Mark Nason – at prices comparable to Last Call. Mmmmm.
Zappos is definitely amazing. As someone I once talked to said, there are companies that treat the customer like a criminal (always assuming the customer is trying to screw you over, etc.), and companies that treat the customer like a friend. Zappos is DEFINITELY the second kind!
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..How to Stop Worrying All the Damn Time =-.
They don’t ship to Australia. *softly weeps*
Zappos is fantastic. I love their commitment to service, and the commitment to a great corporate culture. (Treat your customers well *and* your employees well??) They are so determined to find the right people, they pay folks not to work for them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFyW5s_7ZWc
I’ve heard about Zappos’ excellence from more people. Too bad they don’t ship to Europe.
I’m a lot more inclined to try to order the insanely expensive shoes I’m interested in from them, once I figure out when that’s going to be. :) Thank you for sharing your story!
(I’ve placed one order with them for something that wasn’t shoes, and I was quite happy with that transaction, but knowing how great they are with customer service, I’ll be more inclined to do business with *them* in the future.)