DOWN BUT NOT OUT

I sit at the desk, the sun gliding through the blinds, light flooding the room. It’s a little chilly, but we’re hitting the 70s later today. Spring is here! I love spring!

I’m also aware of the very few things that I don’t like about spring. That damn invisible, giant pooping bird is back. And I have to slog through my closet, putting winter clothes away and bringing out lighter ones. Every year, I can’t bring myself to get rid of the excess older clothes that I don’t wear so much. Who knows—next year, I may want that brown skirt that doesn’t quite fit. Or maybe the outdated dress that sits in the back of the closet may become stylish again. And so it goes. Aside from dealing with the pieces that I wear, there’s the ritual of transferring too many unworn clothes back and forth—just in case.

I have a friend who had a bigger seasonal transition issue. Every morning, I look out the window to see what the dog walkers are wearing. And there’s my friend, Stefanie, often so bundled that if I didn’t know that she was the person enveloped in the scarves and heavy coat, I’d think that Nanook of the North had moved into the neighborhood. One of her warmest outfits includes a well made down coat. Very attractive, perfect for a Pennsylvania winter. A couple of months ago, she noticed small imperfections that hadn’t been there before. She’s careful, but even with such a well made coat, the company could have missed the mark of perfection. Stefanie’s had the coat for a few years and hadn’t had a problem before now. Luckily the coat is warranted for life. Unluckily, she ran into a problem dealing with the warranty.

Stefanie had found that the coat had to be cleaned, then mailed to the company in Montreal. Logically, she went back to Nordstrom, where she had purchased the coat, and asked them to deal with the problem. She spoke to a store associate, who told her that with the warranty, Stefanie would be responsible for dealing with the manufacturer. Stefanie is less of a rabble rouser than I am. She was going to incur the cost for cleaning ($35), the nuisance of figuring out how to package the coat (it’s big and bulky), and what would probably be a hefty cost for shipping. With all of this, she found that the manufacturer would examine the coat, and may or may not decide that it fell within warranty. So, “warranty” probably meant about $75, not to mention the time and energy that it would take to figure out how to pack the coat and have it transported. And with all of that, there was no guarantee that they would find that it fell within warranty.

Stefanie and I were talking and she happened to mention the coat situation, preparing to clean and ship. Whoa! My thinking—she bought the coat from Nordstrom, not directly from the manufacturer. Nordstrom made a profit as the middleman. And Nordstrom is known for their commitment to customer service. Nordstrom should take care of the problem.

Stefanie had run into the wrong associate. I suggested that she speak with the department manager or the store manager and was pretty sure that Nordstrom would handle the issue. She called the store and asked for a manager. Within an hour, the Manager of the Day called back and told Stefanie that she should bring the coat in. Nordstrom would take care of everything that needed to be done to get the coat to the manufacturer. 

These days, line staff is not always as helpful as they should be. It’s probably a function of staff shortages, less time for staff training, less immersion in customer service. But that doesn’t mean that lack of service should be acceptable. Even in this day and age, I usually find that if you have a reasonable request, managers will make things right. And this little adventure proved that point.

Nordstrom did their part. And Stefanie just heard that the manufacturer will repair the coat and send it back to her. Problem solved.

IF YOU’RE NOT GETTING APPROPRIATE CUSTOMER SERVICE, GO THE MANAGEMENT ROUTE. INVARIABLY, IT WORKS.