Many of the articles on The Consumerist website read as though they were penned for a fictitious show called "Stupid Retailing Tricks." That's part of what makes a recent story on the site all the more noteworthy.
An auto mechanic and reader of the site wrote to explain that a 1/8th-inch Craftsman socket wrench passed down to him from his father broke. He went to the local Kmart that sold the brand because there was a lifetime guarantee on the tools.
When the individual went to Kmart he was told he would "have to go to Sears" to address the issue.
Rather than make the trip to a Sears, he went home that night
and emailed the acting CEO of Sears, W. Bruce Johnson. The next morning, the
customer received a call from Rafeh Masood, VP of store operations for the
retailer, who apologized and did three things:
- Provided the customer with his cell phone number.
- Arranged for the person to meet with the district manager to take care of the exchange for a new tool personally. The manager said that all Kmart employees at the location would be trained to handle similar situations properly as would all others in the district.
- Handed over a gift certificate for $50.
According to The Consumerist, the reader wrote, "This made my opinion of Sears/Kmart do a full 180 and I really think your readers should know that they really seem to be putting serious effort into customer satisfaction."
Separately, Mr. Masood appears in a YouTube video where he discusses Sears' commitment to customer service. He offers a toll free help line that he promises will be answered within a minute and by someone based in the United States. Mr. Masood goes one step further and provides his own phone for contact if Sears' customers are unhappy with their experience for any reason.
Discussion Questions: Do you see Sears as changing a culture that has been labeled as unfriendly to customers to one where service is a priority? How is it being accomplished?