Getting excellent customer service from a large corporation is one of the seven wonders of the world . . . well, at least it seems that way. We love dealing with companies who have well-trained employees who really seem to care about their customers’ problems.
Companies with Bad Customer Service
We have had a number of frustrating interactions with companies lately – mostly internet/cell phone and utilities. Poor or non-existent customer service has become the norm. Long hold times and getting disconnected on phone calls is so frequent that we’ve come to expect it.
Celebrating Companies who Provide Excellent Customer Service
So when we encounter a company with great customer service, it makes us want to stand up and cheer.
We’ll add to this list as time goes on. Here are some companies that have given us excellent customer service (we know that sometimes customer service can vary depending on who you deal with, so if your experience is:
1. Amazon.com
You’d think dealing with an enormous company like Amazon might be a chore, but it hasn’t been for us.
We’ve ordered textbooks, batteries, ink, appliances and so much more from them. With warehouses and third-party affiliates around the country, items that we order sometimes arrive the next day!
And when there is a problem—like the time Steve didn’t read the product description carefully and ended up ordering AAA batteries instead of AA — one call to customer service and the new batteries were on their way (and they didn’t want the old ones back)—Unbelievable!
We love shopping at Amazon (but we also do cost comparisons with Ebay and other online sources before we buy).
RELATED ARTICLE: Companies that Price Match Amazon
2. Three Day Blinds
We’ve received excellent help with purchasing replacement cording for some honeycombed blinds that they didn’t even manufacture. They also have a lifetime replacement warranty on vertical blinds. They replaced the entire mechanism for us at no charge on three sets of blinds.
3. USAirways (now American)
We’ve had great help when purchasing several tickets with frequent flyer miles. We usually get great service from the people on their 800 line: 800-428-4322
4. Puritan’s Pride
This is our source for vitamins and supplements. We recently had some gel caps start to leak while they were in the jar. They were replaced without any questions and without having to return the leaking items.
Another time, we discovered that we had ordered an incorrect supplement (it was our fault) and they refunded our money and sent us the correct product without additional charges and told us to keep the wrong stuff!
These people really care about their longtime customers. It’s a pleasure calling them.
5. Black & Decker
Recently, daughter Becky was ironing some clothes when our relatively new Black & Decker iron made a strange “ping” sound and turned off. She didn’t drop it, she wasn’t even touching it when it died.
Steve made one call to Black & Decker’s Customer service, read the number off of the plug and in 7 days we had a new iron in hand—at no charge! Small Appliance Customer Service: 800-231-9786.
Other Black & Decker contact numbers
6. Bass Shoes
Steve has worn Bass dress shoes for about 15 years—going through about 3 pairs of shoes in that time. They are comfortable and well made.
We usually purchase them at the Bass Shoe Outlet about 20 miles from our home. Recently he lost the tassel from one of his shoes.
Rather than go to a shoe repair shop, he emailed Bass and received a response the next day. 10 days later he had the replacement tassel in hand!
7. Discount Tire—aka America’s Tire
The people who work at Discount Tire have given us fantastic customer service—above and beyond the call of duty—for more than 25 years.
They’ll match or beat competitors prices, they have a generous road hazard warranty program and if you call ahead, you can get in and out of their shop quickly.
You get flats fixed for free, free tire balancing after purchase and they even mounted a wheelbarrow tire for us at no charge. That’s great customer service!!!
8. Warner Home Video
A few years ago we purchased The Walton’s
Season 4 DVD set. It took us months to get through the prior seasons, but when we did finally get to Season 4 we discovered that two out of the five DVDs were defective. They had little bubbles in the silver mylar and wouldn’t play on our DVD player or computer.
We made a phone call to Warner Home Video and were directed to a specific person in their Burbank office. Steve left a message and his call was promptly returned. Sherri assured us that she would take care of getting us a brand new set of DVDs, at no cost to us.
A few days later we received a letter containing instructions and a UPS post-paid label. We sent off the defective DVD set and in one week we had a new Season 4 set in hand. It was a pleasant, painless and wonderful experience.
9. Delta Faucets
In 2000 we remodeled our kitchen and installed a Delta Waterfall Faucet. It wasn’t cheap (cost about $100 at Home Depot).
About 5 years later we noticed that the chrome finish was pitting. We found the warranty information (lifetime) and called Delta Faucets Customer Service number 1-800-345-3358.
The customer service person sent out new parts without question. Awesome service and fast shipping.
Fast forward to March of 2013. The faucet is leaking at the base (old O-rings) and the finish has black swirl marks on it. Another phone call and another set of warrantied parts sent out. You can’t beat Delta’s customer service.
Because of their excellent reputation and service, we’ve replaced 5 bathroom faucets in our home with Delta faucets too. They aren’t paying us to say any of this —their service and products are simply that good!
10. Farberware Pots and Pans
They offer a lifetime guarantee and free replacement handles if they break. We recently cleaned out Steve’s father’s house when he moved into an assisted living home.
We brought home Steve’s Mom’s 60-year-old Farberware pots and pans and now our Daughter Becky is cooking with them. They aren’t bright and shiny, but the work as good as new ones would.
11. Moen Plumbing Parts
Moen offers a Lifetime guarantee on plumbing parts. Our kitchen faucet is a Moen and the chrome finish started to bubble and chip. One phone call and they sent us new parts, at no charge.
12. Kohls
Helpful with discounts, coupons and clearance prices. Special deals for Kohl’s credit cardholders. One thing we don’t like is their return policy – if you don’t have a receipt they give you the lowest price on record. So keep your receipts.
Helpful with discounts, coupons, and clearance prices. Special deals for Kohl’s credit cardholders. One thing we don’t like is their return policy – if you don’t have a receipt they give you the lowest price on record. So keep your receipts.
13. Southwest Airlines
We all know that bags fly free on Southwest and that saves a lot of money. But we also love their employees. They have really helpful people on the phone and at the airport. The flight crew people we’ve talked to seem to really love their jobs. They don’t take themselves too seriously.
14. Fitbit
Steve was given a basic Fitbit for Christmas several years ago. Within 6 months the Fitbit failed. He called Fitbit customer service and was walked through several steps to try to diagnose the problem. In the end, after about 15 minutes the rep sent him a new Fitbit. Since that time he received the offer of second replacement, due to another failure, but opted for a discount on a better model.
See the top-rated Fitbit options on Amazon.
15. Chewy.com
We received this message from our Facebook friend Rita Humphrey. “Chewy.com has phenomenal customer service. I have been refunded several times on toys that didn’t live up to expectations. They have a HUGE selection of all kinds of pet-related products. They are also incredibly fast in shipping out the prescription food that our pup is on. Prices are often better than in other stores. Their customer service and wonderful variety have made me a customer for life!”
We’ll keep adding to this list as we encounter more companies with great employees who offer excellent customer service.
How to Get a Live Person on the Phone
Do you get frustrated with companies that hide their phone numbers or make it impossible to speak to a live human being? We do too. We don’t mind searching FAQ pages and using automated help wizards, but there comes a point when we just want to talk to a live person.
A guy named Paul English created a website that lists phone numbers for thousands of companies, plus he allows visitors to provide feedback on the quality of customer service they received when calling the company. It’s called GetHuman.com and is a great resource when you really need to talk to someone.
If you want to hear about some other great Frugal Friends, go to this page!
If you have an excellent experience with a customer service department employee, please add it below. Let’s support companies who have great customer service