Holy fantastic customer service, Batman!
Sep. 8th, 2006 11:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missroseroseAs any cat owners who read this blog can probably testify, one of the biggest hassles of cat ownership is litterbox-scooping. Now, I don't particularly mind the job (I'm one of those people who's gifted with an immunity to the "ewww" factor most people have regarding blood, feces, vomit, etc.), so I made a deal with Brian that I'll take care of litter if he takes care of food. It's worked out pretty well, and I'm mostly happy with the arrangement. The one thing that does bug me, though, is the tendency of litter scoops to break every few months - especially when you've got two cats that between them produce a rather large amount of waste.
Recently, I figured that, this being a free market economy and all, *somebody* must have designed a non-plastic scoop that wouldn't break. After several searches for metal litter scoops, however, I was disappointed - the only metal scoops that are widely available are essentially glorified spatulas, not what I was looking for at all.
I did, however, find exactly what I was looking for at PetsMart - a Durascoop Cat Litter Scoop that, in addition to being made of metal, had a nice ergonimic grippy handle. I went through their shipping information page and didn't find anything about extra charges to Alaska (a bit unusual, but I wasn't complaining), and the total with shipping was only about $20. So I happily went through the checkout process.
Once I got to the "order total" page, however, a $15 surcharge had popped up out of nowhere, in addition to the normal shipping costs - and all the little explanatory window said was that extremely large or heavy items were given a surcharge to cover extra shipping and handling costs. All fair and good, except that this was a 10 oz. litter scoop. Amazingly enough, though, they had the customer service number right in the center of the page under "If you need help with your order please call our 24-hour support line." I figured hey, what the hell - I can fight through their voicemail system and see if anyone will listen to me complain that it hardly takes $15 to ship a 12 ounce package here. So I dialed the number.
My first surprise came when someone picked up the line right away - there wasn't even the usual "Your call has been transferred to our call center, please wait for an available representative" recording. The woman listened to my story and explained that the surcharge was for shipping to Alaska, and when I told her that this was the exact product I wanted but I couldn't get it anywhere else and I just wasn't willing to pay $15 extra to ship to Alaska, she was sympathetic and offered to waive the charge for me. I didn't even have to argue with her or anything. And while she put in the order information she asked me about my cats, and listened patiently while I rhapsodized about them for a while - and when everything was done, she thanked me for calling and told me to give my cats a pat on the head for her.
Best. Damn. Customer service. Ever.
I have every intention of writing a letter to the PetsMart folks commending them for their service - I've never had an agent for such a large corporation be so kind and helpful. It really made me feel like my business was important to them. If/when Brian and I move down south, I'm certainly going to be heading there for pet supplies.
So to anyone out there who needs pet supplies - I give PetsMart.com the highest recommendation, especially if you live in the Lower 48 and don't have to worry about surcharges and such. I've never been to one of their stores, but everyone I've met who has says they're pretty fantastic, too.
ETA: I just was looking on their website for contact info and found that they have a separate department to write to "for recognizing outstanding customer service". I guess it's something they try to emphasize and take pride in...if only more national chains did the same thing. *coughBankofAmericacough*
Recently, I figured that, this being a free market economy and all, *somebody* must have designed a non-plastic scoop that wouldn't break. After several searches for metal litter scoops, however, I was disappointed - the only metal scoops that are widely available are essentially glorified spatulas, not what I was looking for at all.
I did, however, find exactly what I was looking for at PetsMart - a Durascoop Cat Litter Scoop that, in addition to being made of metal, had a nice ergonimic grippy handle. I went through their shipping information page and didn't find anything about extra charges to Alaska (a bit unusual, but I wasn't complaining), and the total with shipping was only about $20. So I happily went through the checkout process.
Once I got to the "order total" page, however, a $15 surcharge had popped up out of nowhere, in addition to the normal shipping costs - and all the little explanatory window said was that extremely large or heavy items were given a surcharge to cover extra shipping and handling costs. All fair and good, except that this was a 10 oz. litter scoop. Amazingly enough, though, they had the customer service number right in the center of the page under "If you need help with your order please call our 24-hour support line." I figured hey, what the hell - I can fight through their voicemail system and see if anyone will listen to me complain that it hardly takes $15 to ship a 12 ounce package here. So I dialed the number.
My first surprise came when someone picked up the line right away - there wasn't even the usual "Your call has been transferred to our call center, please wait for an available representative" recording. The woman listened to my story and explained that the surcharge was for shipping to Alaska, and when I told her that this was the exact product I wanted but I couldn't get it anywhere else and I just wasn't willing to pay $15 extra to ship to Alaska, she was sympathetic and offered to waive the charge for me. I didn't even have to argue with her or anything. And while she put in the order information she asked me about my cats, and listened patiently while I rhapsodized about them for a while - and when everything was done, she thanked me for calling and told me to give my cats a pat on the head for her.
Best. Damn. Customer service. Ever.
I have every intention of writing a letter to the PetsMart folks commending them for their service - I've never had an agent for such a large corporation be so kind and helpful. It really made me feel like my business was important to them. If/when Brian and I move down south, I'm certainly going to be heading there for pet supplies.
So to anyone out there who needs pet supplies - I give PetsMart.com the highest recommendation, especially if you live in the Lower 48 and don't have to worry about surcharges and such. I've never been to one of their stores, but everyone I've met who has says they're pretty fantastic, too.
ETA: I just was looking on their website for contact info and found that they have a separate department to write to "for recognizing outstanding customer service". I guess it's something they try to emphasize and take pride in...if only more national chains did the same thing. *coughBankofAmericacough*
