Here’s how this works. Look at the options, pick your order, then leave your rankings in the comments section. Feel free to explain why you placed what where. This time around it’s three retailers that provide oddly good customer service. Rank them by order of preference, with write-ins if you wish. Your favorite goes #1.
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1. Bonobos
Incredibly fast & free shipping. A huge social media presence. Weekly “happy hour” deals on their facebook page. And a customer service team known as “The Ninjas” who are seemingly so hell bent on making you thrilled and/or saving you money, that sometimes you wonder who they’re actually working for. Bonobos has set the bar so high that it’s not out of the question to wonder if it’s too high. Their return policy: “Any pant, any time, any reason. We’ll pay for standard shipping both ways.” Seems awfully generous to the dude who bought a pair of chinos 4 years back, dumps bouillabaisse all over them, and sends them back expecting a refund.
2. Lands’ End Canvas
Yes, that’s an actual hand written thank you note right there. Lands’ End Canvas seems to send these out to their newest customers. Snail mail. No e-cards. Add on top of that a return policy ironclad enough to warrant registering as a trademark: “Guaranteed. Period.®” Return anything at anytime for any reason. Now, you are on the hook for return shipping, but they offer in-store returns where LEC is sold (many Sears carry the brand.) They also reward their frequent customers with giveaways over twitter, constant codes through email, and when they won Store Wars they handed out $100 gift cards to say thanks. Manners. They got em’.
3. Zappos
A revolutionary in the world of on-line retail customer service. You used to have to shop for shoes in person. Zappos then created a world in which most of us now prefer to shop for shoes online. Free & fast shipping that always seems to deliver your shoes ahead of schedule. Free returns too, which is key. Unlike a department store, there’s no pushy salespeople and limits on selection are few. Photos of the shoes at all angles as well as videos are provided. If there’s an issue with anything, there’s a terrific human on the other end of the phone. They now sell more than shoes, so expect their batch of 9,000 customer testimonials to grow as more people buy from them. UPDATE: Looks like Zappos just got hit by a cyber attack. If you’re a customer, check your email. Credit to Ron in the comments. Sign photo credit.
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Your turn. Put your ranking of each in the comments below. Explain why what went where too. Feel free to write in any other retailers or brands that you think belong in the discussion. Top photo credit: Tupps