As I get older, I find that I’m becoming more demanding when it comes to my money. I never used to be the sort of person who complained, but suddenly, I am that person.
I don’t mean that I’m a grumpy complainer who demands things that I absolutely don’t deserve. But I’m less likely to accept a sub-standard product or sub-standard service. Last week, when apartment maintenance came in to inspect my smoke alarms and tracked clods of dirt onto my carpets, I called to complain. Of course, I just received an apology there, but if it doesn’t happen again, I will be satisfied.
Sometimes, however, there is more than an apology. You know how some stores have a 100% satisfaction guarantee? Have you ever tested them? A few weeks ago, I bought a pair of boots from REI. After two wearings, one of the seams was coming loose. Now, I did my research and knew that this was supposed to be a high quality product to begin with so I e-mailed REI. I immediately received a response indicating that they have 100% satisfaction guarantee, and I could either return them for a full refund or exchange for a new pair. I could take them to a store, or if I wanted to mail them, they would send me a UPS return label so that I would not have to pay the shipping. I opted to take them to the store because I wanted my replacement boots as quickly as possible, and the person I worked with couldn’t have been nicer. Of course, they didn’t have the boots in the store, but they were shipped to me and this pair looks great.
When I first noticed the seam issue, my initial reaction was to think about how I could fix the problem. Sewing it? Glue? But wait, these are new and should be better quality. Maybe REI will give me a new pair. And they did.
While I don’t plan to become a complainer, I am going to quit sitting back and start doing what I can to get what I paid for.
