From Unhappy to Delighted – a Customer Service Tale

This is a tale of customer gone wrong…

…with a happy ending.

It was 97 degrees the day the a/c crapped out in Melissa’s Volvo.

She loves that car — except for the problems with the heating and cooling systems.

We paid $400 to “recharge” the a/c — only to have the thing fail again a few weeks later.

That’s when the Volvo dealership told us it would cost $3,600 to replace the evaporator.

Disappointing news considering the car had only 38,000 miles on it and was just a few months past warranty.

I asked the customer service rep at the dealership whether they could do anything to help. She suggested I call Volvo USA which might provide a “good will” discount or waive the fees altogether.

That’s when things turned from bad to worse.

I called Volvo and explained our plight. The woman who answered my call promised I’d hear from someone within three to five days. She gave me a case number and wished me well.

A few minutes later, I got an automated email from “Frank” with a summary of the phone call and my case number…

…then nothing…

…for 12 days.

(Meanwhile, we had a five-day heat wave with temperatures nearing 100 each day. Melissa missed her a/c).

I called Volvo again, and the rep told me “Frank” was reviewing my case. I told her I expected to hear from Frank 3 to 5 days following the initial call.

“You did hear from Frank,” she said. “He sent you an email. I see it here in the record.”

“Are you talking about the email “Frank” sent a few minutes after the first phone call — the one that summarizes that first call?”

“Yes,” she said. “He contacted you. And it was LESS than 3 to 5 days.”

She said it as if I should congratulate her.

Instead, I laughed. This customer service had now become a joke.

After a good guffaw, I caught my breath and said, “Can you ask Frank to contact me with an update?”

The next day, Frank emailed me and said, “Volvo management has reviewed your concern and we are unable to offer a goodwill assistance as of now.”

A note about customer service word choice: When someone says, “We are unable to” help, they really mean, “We are able to help but we choose not to help.”

I know that’s so in this case because I visited several online forums where customers complained about this common a/c problem. Many said Volvo USA offered goodwill repairs for no charge.

In his email, Frank suggested I ask the dealer for help.

So I was back where I started.

This is the part where things took a turn for the better. I called Tori at the dealership. She’s the one who told us to contact Volvo USA in the first place.

I told her about the customer (dis)service fiasco.

I told her how much Melissa loves the car…

…how we’ve serviced the car only at the dealership and done all the scheduled maintenance on time.

I said we could imagine being lifelong customers of Volvo and the dealership.

But if we have to pay $3,600 (10% of the car’s Blue Book) value for a repair months after warranty expiration…

…if we encounter customer “service” that’s anything but…

…we’ll pass on the repair, limp through the rest of the summer without a/c…

…wait for interest rates to go down…

…and then sell the car (not to the dealership)…

…and never do business with Volvo or the dealership again.

“Volvo USA seemed to be taking the short view,” I said. “I hope you can take the long view.”

Tori promised to consult with the service director and get back to me.

Two days later she called to say they would replace the evaporator for no charge.

Back when I ran an email marketing software company, I used to tell my customer reps to think of themselves as marketing professionals.

The work you do is critical for us to retain customers and increase referrals, I told them.

So it goes in software companies. So it goes at auto dealerships. So it goes in your business.

After Tori gave us the good news about waiving the $3,600 fee, she said our “loyalty” was a key factor. They appreciated that we serviced the car consistently at the dealership, and they wanted to reward (and continue to earn) our loyalty.

I don’t know what the dealership’s cost will be to replace the evaporator for no charge.

But I’m certain they’ll make up for that “loss” many times over because…

…we’re not going to sell the car and leave the dealership in a huff.

They’ve earned back our loyalty.

We’re going to stick with the dealership and likely buy another car from them.

They’ve turned an unhappy customer into a delighted one.

Delighted customers buy more and refer others.

Remember that the next time you’re about to say, “We’re unable to help you” to an unhappy customer.