The Value of Good Customer Service

It can never be underestimated these days how important good customer service is. There are so many ways for customers to engage with companies, and vice versa, that it's not only easier than ever, but more important than ever to take a few minutes to interact with your customers. In both positive and negative circumstances.

Here's where I'm coming from with this:

I'm a big baseball fan, and I like little knick knacks and toys. So what could be better than baseball themed, Lego-like minifigures?

Oyo Sportstoys makes officially licensed minifigures for Major League Baseball, NFL, and NHL teams. You can get little guys that represent your favorite players - down to the uniform and even facial hair.

When I first got wind of this, I stopped by their website to see what they had for my favorite team, the Milwaukee Brewers. With a number of players that I like, I went ahead and placed an order early in the baseball season.

They happened to be running a promotion at the time, for a "limited edition" figure stand with the "Opening Day 2014" logo on it. I placed my order during the promotional period, and eagerly awaited my package.

Imagine my disappointment when my package arrived in the mail with the two figures that I ordered, but no additional goodies.

I took to email and sent the company a friendly message to ask about the missing piece.

I didn't hear back.

I waited a couple of weeks and emailed again, this time I was a little more terse, once again inquiring about the promotion and also pointing out that this was my second email.

Sadly, I still haven't heard back from Oyo Sportstoys.

Now, I get it. We get a lot of emails here at WOBM. We really do make an effort to at least acknowledge every email. While we may not be able to sit down and get into a long discussion, I always thank listeners for reaching out and for listening.

All it would take would be for Oyo Sportstoys to acknowledge my concern and either explain why the piece wasn't included (maybe they ran out, maybe it was sent separately and lost, etc). Or, even better, just make it right and send out the promotional item that was promised in the first place.

You'd think that a company would at least acknowledge a concern and send over a coupon good toward a future purchase, if nothing else.

But I won't hold a grudge. I'd be more than happy to hear from them. In fact, if Oyo Sportstoys happens to see this blog, please feel free to reach out to me, I'd love to open a dialogue.

Have you ever had a disappointing customer service experience? Tell us in the comments!