Brenthaven ( A Customer Service Story)

I hate bad customer service. Really hate it. Unfortunately, I seem to attract it. And I don't think I'm overly demanding or unreasonable in my expectations. But I think companies, in general, have dreadful service and little regard for the customer. Things like getting told one thing on the phone and an entirely different thing in a retail location of the same company really chap my hide. (The key being that the company won't do in person what it said it would do on the phone). In my opinion, if I tell you that a representative of your company told me one thing, even if he was wrong, you should fulfill it if you possibly can. Don't "stick to your guns" just to honor company policy if I've gone out of my way to do something on the word of someone else in your company. It just doesn't seem that hard to me. Sometime I'll tell you that story. (hint: it was Apple Computer, and I generally love Apple) OK, rant over.

So, while I shouldn't be surprised by great service, when I do receive it, it is a huge relief. Such is the case with Brenthaven. I bought a Brenthaven bag for my Apple 17" PowerBook a few years ago. It was custom made for the dimensions of my computer and the construction was solid and tough. For 3 years it has followed me across the globe, from Puerto Rico to India, and a few points in between, and the bag still looks almost new. Amazing really. (Another story for another time was the incident of waiting faithfully on the curb outside the Caribe Hilton in San Juan. Seems I forgot to load it. Should've turned around one more time. Thanks Brent.)

One exception to the otherwise excellent condition was the shoulder strap. It's a fairly heavy bag when fully loaded, perhaps 15 pounds, and after 3 years, the webbing on the strap finally started to pull away. Somewhere in the back of my mind I recalled that the bag had a generous warranty attached to it. So I went to the "contact us" link on the Brenthaven website and sent a note. This was just the general contact link. I fully expected a couple of things:

1. That it would take several days to get a response from this generic contact form.
2. That when I finally received said response, it would be in the form of a boilerplate response that the shoulder strap is a wear and tear item, and it would cost $20 to replace it.

In fact I was only contacting them to find out how to order and pay for a replacement. I would not have expected a free part after 3 years, and was more than happy to pay 20 bucks for another 3 years, especially since the rest of the bag is in perfect condition.

Here is the response I received 2 hours later.

Sooo...all you need is a new shoulder strap?

EASY! Please forward to me your shipping information and I will get a new shoulder strap out to you right away.

Thanks for buying a Brenthaven and we are very glad it has worked out for you so well.

And within a week I had a brand spankin' new shoulder strap. Free of charge. They didn't ask for a model number/serial number, proof of purchase, warranty card, nothing. All they wanted was the address to send it to. Let me just tell you, with that kind of attitude and customer service, when I need anything that Brenthaven sells, I'll be buying it from them. And I encourage you to give them a look also. They have a quality product, and the best service I've ever come across.

Other companies should take notice. You'd better get back to the basics of customer satisfaction, because I promise you there's enough dissatisfaction out there for your competitors to do better than you and grab your business.

India...the Video

If you'd like to see the video I shot and edited for Mission: India, click here to see a streaming version from Stonebriar Church.

Texas Newts (Why Google isn't always the best choice)

Last year, I posted this picture of a newt that I saw while driving down the freeway here in Texas. At the time, I said that Newts are not native to Texas. I must confess, I made no attempts at research before posting that tidbit, and reader “cath” was kind enough to correct me:

two kinds of newts are native to tx.


* Notophthalmus meridionalis (Black-spotted Newt)

* Notophthalmus viridescens (Eastern Newt) 

http://www.zo.utexas.edu/research/txherps/salamanders/ 


how the heck did you see that little thing while driving on the freeway?

How the heck indeed Cath. Call it “mad eyeball skills”. Or call it a lie. The fact is, a reader requested a macro photo of a newt, and I delivered. Another reader has requested a photo of some Puerto Rican girls at a lighthouse. That’s a tougher one, but I’ll do what I can. Watch this space for more details.

Anyway, back to Cath. Looking back at my referral logs as to how Cath found my photo to begin with, I discovered that Google led her here. What was the search string that she used? “texas newt translucent”. And if you type that into Google, who is the top hit? Your’s truly. I feel bad for the dozens of people who have, in the course of serious, scientific research, have stumbled here and found a photo of a non-Texan Newt. So there you have it. Perhaps Google should look over their algorithms or something.

Wow, It's been a while.

Someone named -d posted a comment that I really should post something new. Although -d is certainly one to talk. Hello Pot, meet Kettle.

Hypocrite.

Anyway, she’s right. I didn’t even realize that I only had 2 posts all year long. That’s pathetic. And yet a few of you faithfully check in each week to see what new things are going on here. I thank you, and I apologize for my negligence. So here’s an attempt to get the ball rolling again. We’ll see what happens.