Although I’m known for spotlighting really, really bad customer service – and Ryan has had his share of negative Pings, too – we’re also quick to point out good experiences. I’m happy to report that my recent buying experience with Zappos.com qualifies as a good one.
As Pingers know, I’ve been looking to get some real shoes lately. And I found a pair I wanted… the only problem was that I saw them at a store I’d never bought from before, with a so-so return policy. I looked over at Zappos and they had the same shoes, but for $80 more. That’s a big chunk of change. So I called them up to see what they could do.
And, I’m happy to report they fully honored their 110% price protection guarantee. I was on the phone with a fellow for a good twenty minutes while we confirmed the price elsewhere, along with Zappos’ own stock levels. He honored the new low price, which essentially beat the other store’s price by 10%. As a bonus, of course, Zappos has free shipping, free return shipping, and a 365-day guarantee (!) on shoes. The nice part is that he upgraded me to 2nd Day Air shipping, but I checked the status this morning and the package is already in town! One day shipping – for free.
I was a little weary of buying shoes online, initially. But a free return shipping and free shipping policy makes it easy. Adding in superb customer service just about makes it a no-brainer. There are a lot of stores that could learn from what Zappos is doing right.
Posted in Consumer Commentary
Paul January 28, 2008, 1:01 pm
Worth noting that I bought another pair of shoes from Zappos yesterday and was able to use the 110% price guarantee just fine. Great customer service, friendly (even at 7am on a Sunday morning!) and my shoes ship today.