My dealings with Bolt (Gradus Group) service

[RustBeltRaw]

During a derby bout a few weeks ago, one of my Bolt CBP-C1 battery packs died. Not a huge problem, since it was one of two lights firing simultaneously from that location, but it did mean I was working the internal batteries more heavily, swapping them more often, and dealing with longer recycle times. No LED status lights, the flash didn't know it was plugged in, and no change when I swapped in three different sets of batteries with two different chemistries and two different magazines. This pack was heavily used, including getting strapped to my belt for color runs. It still had neon-pink corn starch inside the fabric holster (though I did tape the openings and seams shut).

After inspecting the pack for visible damage when I got home (saw none), I contacted Bolt via e-mail about repairing it. I described the problem and asked about a repair estimate. That was on January 29th. Less than 60 minutes after sending the message, they called to gather further details. The rep, Joey Q, was extremely courteous, and asked if the unit was still under warranty. It was purchased on January 15th of the preceding year, so it was two weeks outside Bolt's 1-year warranty.

They honored it anyway. I mailed the pack to them 4 days after getting the RMA (same day I initially contacted them), and received a brand-new pack in the mail yesterday (a little over a 2-week turnaround).

Bolt has a new lifelong customer.

The great part about this experience is that it surrounded a $75 product. That's not costly enough for me to expect excellent service. Regardless, they dealt with the problem seriously, quickly, and generously.

Makes me unafraid to break their stuff.

[Colin Southern]

There are some extremely valuable lessons here that - sadly - all too many business owners are too short-sighted to see. We go into every transaction in life with an expectation; if the result doesn't meet those expectations then we go away grumbling. If our expectations are met then we come away "satisfied". If our expectations are exceeded then we come away more than satisfied.

But there's more to it than that; the DEGREE to which our expectations are exceeded or not met dictates how we feel about that company, which in-turn has a huge influence on our future buying habits and on what we tell our friends (especially in social media these days). Little Johnny (not his real name) drops the tray holding 4 medium Coke's at McDonalds, making one heck of a mess. In situation 1 the assistant manager empathizes with the kid and with the parents - replaces the drinks at no charge - and brings the kid a free 50c ice cream to stop him crying. In situation 2 the assistant manager refuses to replace them without charge because "it wasn't our fault they were dropped" (and is quite pugnacious about upholding that "policy").

Situation 1 costs McDonalds about 15c which they recoup on the very next visit (and from others who go there having heard of the kind treatment) - they also make many more $$$ from many more visits.

Situation 2 costs McDonalds hundreds of dollars because that customer won't ever come back there, and neither will any of their friends if the parents have anything to say about it.

A good manager will welcome scenarios like this because they understand the concept of the lifetime value of a customer and they relish the opportunity to exceed expectations. A bad manager will just be clueless.

Had an interesting McDonalds experience exactly along these lines; my old car only had 2 cup holders and when I went through the drive through one day, both holders still had the empties in it from yesterdays trip through (I know, I know). So as the new product came out the window I asked if they'd mind throwing the old rubbish in their bin for me. She refused (apparently "they don't take back old rubbish"). Not a happy camper. Unfortunately for her, the owner was a personal friend (who understands lifetime value) and I sent him a text message to ask if he knew of this "policy". When I got back to the office with my food I thought I'd better give him a call (text messages are rather short) and he said "at the moment nobody is owning up to it -- and if they don't own up in the next couple of minutes then we're going to have a line up and you can point them out"! Unfortunately for her, I knew her name ... phone rings a few minutes later "Hi - it's Theresa here from McDonalds ... I'm very very sorry ...".

Felt sorry for her to be honest, but the powerful message is that when people get a far lower standard of service than they think they should, they bleat about it - they curse and swear - and they often give the business a very wide berth. When they get GREAT service (which often doesn't cost anything more to deliver) they rave about it.

Morale of the story?: Lex should have bought a Canon CP-E4! (Just kidding)

/end_lecture