More Sterling Customer Service, Starring Best Buy!

So - over Thanksgiving weekend, Best Buy was having a fantastic sale on Droid Razr Maxx phones ($0!) I didn't want to have to deal with lines, so I ordered the phone online.

My wife then decided that she, too, wanted  the phone, and we were out, so I decided to stop in to one of the locations -- lo and behold; there was nearly no line! I decided to call Best Buy and cancel my order; and get it at the retail location, instead.

I called the online store, and they assured me that I could do just this. Worst case, they said, I could buy a second one and return the first one when I got it. They told me the order had "already shipped" - although, later, I learned that it wouldn't actually ship until the next day.

I next learned that, ultimately, a short line at Best Buy for Verizon Wireless, doesn't necessarily mean no wait. An hour later, we were seen. I explained the situation, and the person sent me to a manager, who decided to tell me that I had "clearly misunderstood."

His interpretation of the conversation was that the phone service had told me to wait until I received the phone in the mail; then  return it, then purchase from the store.

I asked, 'so, you're suggesting that they recommended I return the Droid Razr Maxx that I receive from in the mail; take that phone that is already activated; and bring it back here, so I can buy the EXACT same phone and wait to have it activated again? That is what you're saying your CSR team said to me?"

And he said yes. I realized, at this point, that there was not going to be a phone in my future, so I told him to go away.

Humorously enough, when I did receive the phone (about a week later), I couldn't activate it (although, it was supposed to be delivered activated ...) When I called the Best Buy Mobile Specialist (to ask, simply, how to insert the SIM card), they told me they would call me back after THEY called Verizon! I explained I could  just as easily call Verizon myself; and that I was going through them first, because I had purchased the phone from them. Eventually, I got it figured out; but it was through no help of Best Buy.

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My last note on Customer Service, for 2012 (I do have two more non-CS posts in the hopper) deals with a simple rule. If your customer takes the time to tell you something, it's probably important.

Case in point, I visit physical therapy a few times a week. I prefer my session to go a certain way -- stretch/loosen up (exercise bike); do all my exercises; have the physical therapist work on my knee and then ice. Sometimes, that's the order; other times, the PT comes and works on me in between my exercises (and then I have to resume).

So, the last visit, I made a point of saying how much I liked it when the session went the way I like it. She nodded and said, "okay, we'll see." Now, ultimately, if I'm taking the time to say something; it's probably important to me. I would've finished up, headed to my chart and written myself a note about this particular client's preferences. Instead, it's anyone's guess how my next session will go .......