I am writing in to commend your staff at the Kanata Centrum location. As someone who has worked extensively in customer service training, I am a discerning consumer, and unfortunately in my day to day shopping experiences I see too many instances where I think that the staff are in desperate need of better training. Ian, the store manager did an excellent job, as did Lorne, the initial person who took my call.
As an avid soccer player who currently plays on 5 teams, I finally convinced my wife last year that it would be worthwhile investing in a high-end ball, specifically the Tango 12 Fifa official match ball that was used at the Euro 2012. We are a relatively frugal family, so this was no easy pitch, given that the ball was $150 before tax. But I told her that for the amount that I play, it would be worth investing in a quality product and also pointed out the 2 year guarantee that came with the Tango 12.
She got it for me for my birthday last year and it was my prized possession for this past year, until after a recent game, I noticed one of the bonds between two of the panels had broken and there was now an open flap revealing the internal bladder.
I know that dealing with manufacturer warranties can be a major headache so I was afraid to break the news to her. I contacted Adidas and they recommended that I contact the store where it was purchased directly as the first step. I expected to encounter roadblocks and get policy recited to me about manufacturer warranty vs. retailer warranty etc. and thought I might be faced with a negative situation trying to get this dealt with, based on the average state of customer service at the typical retail chain store.
Lorne took my call and did about as well as I could have coached anybody to do. He was empathetic to the situation and listened to me. He said that store policy was a 60 or 90 day return policy, but he also said that they want to do whatever they can to ensure customer satisfaction and he even offered a potential solution. He checked the inventory and found that there was one Tango 12 left in stock, and he would put it on hold for me until I could bring my defective ball in for the sporting goods manager to inspect. That way, if the damage did seem to be a legitimate manufacturing defect, I could get the ball switched right away.
I came in and unfortunately the sporting goods manager was not in, so I spoke with Ian at the front cash (not knowing he was the store manager at this point). I told him the history, and he offered to fill out a work order so that they could speak with Adidas on Monday (since it was the weekend) and go from there, since the ball was no longer covered by the store warranty. I mentioned my previous conversation with Lorne, and said I would be really appreciative of avoiding another drive to Kanata (since my wife only came this far originally since the 2 sportcheks that were closer did not have the ball in stock originally), and also of avoiding being without my beloved Fifa-match ball for longer than necessary. Ian was good at letting me know they would do whatever they could to facilitate it as fast as possible, and that he would keep the last in-stock Tango 12 set aside for me.
I figured this was as good as I could hope for, so accepted leaving my ball there to await further word on Monday. While in the parking lot explaining the situation to my wife, my cellphone rang. Ian, the store manager was on the line and said that if I was still nearby, to come back and we could switch for the replacement ball right then and there. He said he thought about it, and didn't want me to have to keep running around and waiting, and that the store would work it out with Adidas directly. This just absolutely made my day!
It was actually a perfect example of one of the techniques that can be used to maximize customer satisfaction - Empathize, Downplay what can be done, then surpass their expectations with your solution. Doing this can make a customer happier than if nothing had gone wrong in the first place.
I go through lots of sports equipment, and while price is important to me, good customer service is equally important - Sportchek Kanata stepped up and took ownership of the problem, even though they could have passed the buck to the manufacturer. I have a soccer blog, I am a prominent player in Ottawa's largest adult soccer league, and I have over 100 teammates if you count my 5 current teams and teams that I sub for. You can bet on which store I'll be directing people to for their soccer gear from now on, and as you know, word of mouth recommendations from respected peers is one of the best forms of advertising you can get [Note - "Respected" may be a stretch but it sounded good didn;t it?].
Thanks to Ian, Lorne, and Sportchek Kanata Centrum.
