Astonishingly good customer service
By Boingboing
@boiboing (13153)
Northampton, England
November 23, 2015 2:45am CST
I'm a firm believer in praising great customer service and today I've had a fine example of that.
Probably most of you will not have heard of the online 'club' retailer Achica.com
They are not even terribly well known in the UK and I've not heard of them being anywhere else. They mostly take orders for products that are offered at large discounts and then place that order with their supplier and post out the goods a few weeks later. If you have the patience to wait, they have some excellent bargains.
I recently ordered some sets of scented candles made by a company called Parks. Each boxed set was £19, down from about £60-70 so quite a bargain. When my order arrived, each of the boxes was damaged and one candle in each was broken.
I reported the problem and sent photos via their website. Within a few hours they wrote back to say that they couldn't replace the items (due to the way in which they only order enough stock for the orders) but they would process a full refund and I could keep the items.
Great result! I still have 18 of the 20 little candles left and the two damaged ones can go into my 'tart melter'. I can rejig the contents to make one full set for my friend so I did really well out of their refund policy.
In contrast, I bought a set of the same candles from a similar site called 'Secretsales'. They only refunded me 25% of the cost of a box - so less than £5. I know who I'll be choosing next time.
Many people worry over customer service online but Achica.com has always been most generous in its treatment of damaged deliveries.
41 people like this
31 responses
@AbbyGreenhill (45496)
• United States
23 Nov 15
There is good and bad customer service in brick and motor as well as online store. Three cheers when you find a good one!
3 people like this
@AbbyGreenhill (45496)
• United States
23 Nov 15
@boiboing And sometimes good customer service turns bad when companies merge.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
23 Nov 15
Without good customer service, an online business should fail.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
23 Nov 15
@boiboing It is a sad state of affairs when doing the right thing is a surprise, but it often is.
3 people like this
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
23 Nov 15
I have read @garymarsh6 's comment and i absolutely agree .
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80243)
• United States
23 Nov 15
Good customer service will keep me going back. Bad customer service will get the big X and I'll find somewhere else to shop. You certainly got great customer service for your damaged candles.
1 person likes this
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
23 Nov 15
And they couldn't have paid me to say such nice things but by demonstrating their integrity, they get publicity for free.
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
23 Nov 15
It's a good strategy if people tell their friends and family.
@GardenGerty (157941)
• United States
23 Nov 15
I agree that honest reviews are a necessary part of shopping. I do not think I am in a position to use either of those retailers, but I also know who I would choose.
1 person likes this
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
23 Nov 15
It's the second time I've had such good service from them. They are worth paying a little more for compared to the other company.
@spleendingo1 (801)
• Grand Haven, Michigan
23 Nov 15
Whenever I call customer service I always start the same way "Listen, man, I know this isn't your fault and you're just trying to get through your day with as little hate as possible for the people that verbally abuse you. But here's my issue...." I get better service that way and maybe prevent homicide lol 
@spleendingo1 (801)
• Grand Haven, Michigan
23 Nov 15
@boiboing Even better yo! Talking to people takes away my will to live lol
alking to people takes away my will to live lol
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
24 Nov 15
i've ne'er'd any troubles with regards to damaged schtuff i've ordered online. did've a fella spew his coffee o'er the phone when i called 'n asked if'n u.p.s. 'd notified 'em what they'd done though. the driver'd set the box near the curb, took a phone call 'n fergot 'bout said box - which he promptly ran o'er. funny thingy? i got the replacement in 2 days when the original order'd taken 7 days, lol.
glad'ja got it all sorted 'n're happy with the results, hon.
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
24 Nov 15
@boiboing i wish i'd earplugs coz the language that came outta his mouth....
@just4him (308955)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
23 Nov 15
It's rare to find good customer service. I'm glad they gave you the refund and a good explanation why they couldn't send you a new set.
@Namelesss (3368)
• United States
23 Nov 15
I just checked them out but haven't looked to see if they ship to US. I would love to find a great place to get candles. Everyone raves on yankee candles but I wasn't happy with mine.
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
23 Nov 15
Yankee candles seem to be too heavy and overpowering. In the US, one of the best places is TJ Maxx. They have some great brands at really good prices.
@Namelesss (3368)
• United States
23 Nov 15
@boiboing I'll remember that the next time I'm in the big city, here we only have wally world and the dollar stores. Our grocery store used to carry a small eclectic brand of organic candles and hand soaps that were the best I've ever used.
@Namelesss (3368)
• United States
23 Nov 15
@Namelesss This reminds me of how Avon was. They would always just replace the product, no muss no fuss. It sure made them a success.
1 person likes this
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
23 Nov 15
It's also the second time this happened for me and they've been brilliant both times.
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
23 Nov 15
I'm sitting at home waiting for my Nespresso coffee pods that are due to arrive today and wondering if I'm going to have to complain to Amazon AGAIN!
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
23 Nov 15
It was a real contrast to the other site that grudgingly gave a part refund.
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
25 Nov 15
It's a shame that more companies don't understand that, isn't it? Shopping isn't always about getting the most for the least (though that helps). Some days you just want to be treated like a human being.
@ridingbet (66857)
• Philippines
23 Nov 15
hmm! If only some of the services here are the same as the one you mentioned. There is one store here that does not refund if the items bought are damaged. I actually complained at the DTI (department of trade and Industry). It was a new electric fan and the propellers broke in a week's time; the store did not give me back the money and they said there are no more available stocks.
