Positive Customer Service experiences

I think that people dwell on the bad customer service experiences they receive rather than the good these days and so I wanted to share the few positive experiences that I’ve had lately when it comes to Customer Experience.

I’m not the sort of person to hold back if something is wrong with an item I’ve bought or my food in a restaurant and it may seem ‘stuck up’ to some people but in my eyes, if I’ve paid for it, I want it to be the best it can be! The most recent thing that happened was just this week... We went to Brighton a few weeks back and Millie used her Build a Bear gift card that she got off her Uncle for Christmas to buy a Build a Bear. All was fine, the service was great - they love kids so the experience was really nice but then I noticed this week, the dress we purchased to go with the Bear had frayed completely. Now, Millie hasn’t played with it enough for that to happen so it must have been on its way when we bought it. I tweeted +Build-A-Bear Workshop and asked what they could do to help resolve the issue and they gave me 2 email addresses to send my query to. I did just that and within 12 hours I had a response saying that they were sorry about what had happened and would send out a brand new dress along with a £5.00 gift voucher! Problem solved! 
The next problem I had was when I bought a bag of crisps from M&S. I never realised when I bought them that they were 3 days out of date! So, again, I tweeted +M&S and they contacted me through DM and apologised for the out of date purchase and told me they would be in touch. A few days later, I received a letter with a £15.00 gift card in and a formal apology stating that they would be passing my query on to the team at Burton to ensure they check all their stock in future. Another good customer service experience right there! £15.00 Gift card for a £1.50 bag of crisps, winner! 
The last positive experience I’ve had recently was with Travelodge. When we stayed in Brighton, we had a few problems with the room and although the staff couldn’t really sort 2 of the problems whilst we were there they did try their best to make us feel comfortable. I took it upon myself to write a formal email to Travelodge Customer Services when we got home though to ensure they knew about the things we complained at the hotel about; not enough plug sockets in a ‘family’ room, not enough towels in the room, no hot water on the first night and no wardrobe or storage for a ‘family’ room. Again, within around 12 hours, I received a response apologising about the difficulties we encountered during our stay, a brief explanation about why it was how it was and then £25.00 credited to my Travelodge account! 
Now, I don’t do this just to be a moaner, I honestly believe that if you encounter a problem, you should say something because someone else will if you don’t! It’s obviously just a huge benefit to get something extra out of it other than an apology and reassurance the issues will be sorted ASAP. And in any case, who doesn’t love a freebie, huh!? When dealing with complaints in previous jobs, I understand that the end result is important and it probably reflects my attitude when it comes to receiving good and bad customer service!
Have you encountered any positive Customer Service lately? Tell me about your experience!