Another good learning moment I recently received from someone else's business:
I wanted the new Kate Moss book...all 8 covers. I tried Amazon (cheap, but can't find a phone number anywhere to explain that I want 8 different covers) Won't work.
I checked with local Barnes & Noble stores. A nice manager at a local Barnes& Noble store was able to locate about 3 copies of the book, but wasn't sure which ones she had, and promised to call me when they had more. That was weeks ago, and I haven't heard anything since.
Finally I connected with Barnes and Noble by phone, ordered the book, explaining I wanted one of each cover, and I received 8 books, but not 8 different covers. I then had to carry them all back to the store for a return. They were so heavy, and it took so long to get to this (more than a couple of weeks), that they would only offer me a store credit. Annoying, but fine, since I buy a lot of books and will use the credit as long as I don't lose it first.
In the meantime, I had called Rizzoli, the New York store and also the original publisher of the book. They had a full set of signed copies; in fact they had two full signed sets left. I bought both. They sent one set to my NY address by messenger, and shipped the other to Atlanta, exactly as I requested. Perfectly wrapped. Right away.
Did I pay more for all of this service? You better believe it. Or rather, I paid the retail price of hte books....not the Amazon or Barnes & Noble discounted price. But I got what I wanted, I had a great customer service experience with an intelligent person who could actually help me on the phone, and I got what I couldn't find anywhere else.
This was an 'a ha' moment for me. I realized the kind of service provider I aspire to be. I don't want to be the discount solution. I want to charge you a fair price and deliver a beautiful product just as you expect. No mistakes. No crushed corners. No cheap packaging. And I still love Barnes and Noble and Amazon. When I want the cheaper solution, I will go to them again. When I want the luxurious solution, Rizzoli gets it right. Thank you for that lesson. I still have some work to do. Great product requires great service and delivery. Anything less diminishes the product.
I wanted the new Kate Moss book...all 8 covers. I tried Amazon (cheap, but can't find a phone number anywhere to explain that I want 8 different covers) Won't work.
I checked with local Barnes & Noble stores. A nice manager at a local Barnes& Noble store was able to locate about 3 copies of the book, but wasn't sure which ones she had, and promised to call me when they had more. That was weeks ago, and I haven't heard anything since.
Finally I connected with Barnes and Noble by phone, ordered the book, explaining I wanted one of each cover, and I received 8 books, but not 8 different covers. I then had to carry them all back to the store for a return. They were so heavy, and it took so long to get to this (more than a couple of weeks), that they would only offer me a store credit. Annoying, but fine, since I buy a lot of books and will use the credit as long as I don't lose it first.
In the meantime, I had called Rizzoli, the New York store and also the original publisher of the book. They had a full set of signed copies; in fact they had two full signed sets left. I bought both. They sent one set to my NY address by messenger, and shipped the other to Atlanta, exactly as I requested. Perfectly wrapped. Right away.
Did I pay more for all of this service? You better believe it. Or rather, I paid the retail price of hte books....not the Amazon or Barnes & Noble discounted price. But I got what I wanted, I had a great customer service experience with an intelligent person who could actually help me on the phone, and I got what I couldn't find anywhere else.
This was an 'a ha' moment for me. I realized the kind of service provider I aspire to be. I don't want to be the discount solution. I want to charge you a fair price and deliver a beautiful product just as you expect. No mistakes. No crushed corners. No cheap packaging. And I still love Barnes and Noble and Amazon. When I want the cheaper solution, I will go to them again. When I want the luxurious solution, Rizzoli gets it right. Thank you for that lesson. I still have some work to do. Great product requires great service and delivery. Anything less diminishes the product.
