I’ll have to admit that I was pissed about it. I knew it was a minor event in my life, but I was still mad. When I told my husband, he got even madder. I knew what I was going to do. I was going to blog about it. That’ll at least make me feel better. Here’s what happened.
On September 11th, I purchased a ring at Macy’s. It had to be sent out to be re-sized since my fingers are so darned big. The customer service rep said it would take about two weeks and they would call when it was ready. Two weeks come and go and I haven’t heard a word from Macy’s. So, two days before the three week mark, I drive into the Macy’s parking lot and call the jewelry department. The woman who answered the phone said they tried calling me but the phone just rang and rang and rang and that the ring had arrived a few days ago. Doubting the truth in that story I enter the store. The first person I saw in the jewelry department was a customer service rep sitting behind the counter. She looked at me but did not look very friendly. (This instantly gave me a bad feeling.) When I told her the reason for my visit, she handed me off to another customer service rep. This woman was much friendlier and proceeded to bring out my ring. As she takes it out of the bag, we both realized the ring had never been sent out. It had been placed in the wrong envelope. Although she apologized profusely for the mistake and said she couldn’t promise any discounts for the trouble, I was still mad as I exited the building. I wondered if I should just cancel the order entirely and get my money back. The whole experience made me wonder if I would ever shop there again.
One day later, as I began to write this blog, I got a call from the manager at Macy’s. She apologized for the mistake and said she would personally make sure the repair was expedited AND she would give me a $25 coupon. When I explained that I didn’t believe that anyone had tried to call me in the first place, she assured me that they had my correct phone number and that it was all just big mistake. Hmmmmmmm, what more could I want? She had empathized with my situation, apologized for the mistake and gave me a coupon. Now that’s showing ZAMitude!
Z-Tip: If you, or your team, make a mistake, apologize ASAP (within 24 hours). The result will be a happy customer who just may return – with their friends.