I am a big fan of Katrina Markoff and her Vosges chocolate. I interviewed her on my radio show last year. My wife, Sara is also a big fan and I try to buy her Vosges chocolate for many occasions. For this holiday season, I bought her a variety of chocolate on my way home from the airport. Sara did not like 2 of the 3 things I bought her. The next day, she tried to return it to the local Vosges store.
The sales person said that they could not take a return since it was “food”. When Sara asked to talk to the manager, she was told the wait would be 30 minutes. When Sara came home and told the story, I was surprised that a Vosges product could not be returned because she did not like the taste.
I contacted a person I knew at Vosges to relay the story. Immediately they sprung into action and I received this note the same day:
“My name is Katie Ozinga I am the Chicago Manager for Vosges. I sincerely apologize for your inconvenience …. I would like to turn your experience around. Please let me send you some products of your liking on us. If you could email me what you would like and where I can ship this to I would be more than happy to. Once again I apologize as this is certainly not our standard.”
Vosges was true to their word and gave great service. The next day, the hand delivered a new product that Sara loved!
All businesses make mistakes. It is a true opportunity when a customer complains to turn it around. Most customers never bring a complaint to the company, but just repeat it to their friends. When you become aware of an unhappy customer, it is your chance to make them a raving fan again….just like me.
