While surfing YouTube, I found this video about customer service at Lowes. It shows how Lowes sees customer service” as an asset and a high priority. In this video, a Lowes customer tells how their new refrigerator (bought from and installed by Lowes) leaked all over their kitchen floor, ruining it. Rather than argue with the customer or try to minimize their exposure, Lowes simply replaced the floor.
As a result, they have a customer for life in the lady. She bought more flooring from them (to match the new stuff in her kitchen) and Lowes has a fan-made video telling everyone how great they are.
You could look at this as a lightning strike. Maybe this lady got lucky. The people at her store were in a good mood that day. On the other hand, a good friend of mine had a similar experience last week. So, maybe Lowes is making customer experience a top priority. You tell me. What has your experience been with Lowes?
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
That was so good. If everyone gets a video made by satisfied customers it will surely be worth more than any advertising can buy.
Hi Ana – I agree completely. Unsolicited positive feedback like this video is gold for companies. Now more than ever businesses should focus on serving their customers so well they feel compelled to do things like this.
Thanks for your comment!
Kevin
This site was high in Googles “Lowe’s Customer Service” search query.
I’m currently dealing with Lowe’s concerning a Natural Gas Water Heater under warranty. The pilot light had stopped re-lighting. The customer service rep had made sure we knew the protocol for lighting the pilot (which we were well aware of due to problems with our previous one). We were then emailed a one page set of directions to confirm the correct calibration of the thermo-couple. Because it lacked a diagram and directions for properly accessing the thermo-couple, it looked to me like an invitation to void our warranty (directions included use of a voltmeter, etc).
They decided they would send out a technician. The call was made on a Friday and they told us it would be fixed Saturday. Most of Saturday passes and we make the call. They tell us “Oh, the technician will be by Monday”. They would not give us information regarding the service rep that said a technician would fix it Saturday.
So, we have a few extra days without hot water that we were not expecting.
Companies these days get away too easily with poor jobs the FIRST time around. The best experience is when I don’t have to talk to a “rep” or manager to fix what shouldn’t have happened. There certainly are customers who get away with things, but if the standard is to provide good products and stand behind them with honest service, people shouldn’t be returning to complain.
In this day and age, you vote with your money. Lowe’s has lost a customer for life with me.
Hi Brad – sorry to hear about your troubles with Lowes. Your story is a perfect example of how an employee or two who don’t really care about customers can cost the company a lot of revenue. Think of what you would have spent with them over your lifetime. Thanks for sharing!
Kevin,
I too would like to mshare a simalar experience. I purchased a dewa… reciprocating saw for my local lowes. It was on sale for 84.00 also the same at Home Depot. I purchased itf rom lowes because becaused they seem more consumer friendly and all around a better store. I had my saw 13 days of which a used it for 4. Granted it was ised for dirty old copper pipe and it was some what dirty but none the less brand new. The blade was hard to insert and remove from day one. I even inuired with a man at the contractor desk and he told me it would “break in” to continue to use it. It continued to getv worse. The blade finally became stuck and would not come out.I brought it back to the gulfport store with the blade still in it. Box reciept and all that came with it. The service rep at the service desk had an extremly bad attitude. When she aventually acknowledged my presence I told her of my ordeal. With reciept in hand i requested a trade out. She was very reluctant .She Called the tool manager.All the while customers where backing up . He even had to break the blade out of the saw. After telling me ” i guess i”ll do it this time”, She rang up the new one and it was no longer on sale. She them tried to charge me $15 more dollars.i informed her this is unexceptable. After asking for a refund and informing her home depot still had them on sale. I requested she call and at least price match them and at this point i’d rather buy a new one from them anyway.Although i believe it should had been a non issue with the reciept present. Anyway this person Linda is a detrament to Lowes and needs to read te first sentence on the rear of the reciept. Which states “IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH YOUR PURCHASE WE WILL GLADLY REPIAR IT OR REPLACE IT WITHIN 90 DAYS OF PURCHASE.
Customer Service stories like this are always interesting to me because invariably you get people who have have good or great experiences with Store X and you get people who have had bad experiences.
For me the lesson is this: Service, good or bad, is rarely the same across the board with the big retail chains. It varies by district or even by stores in the same city. It all comes down to the the manager or supervisor. He or she has the biggest direct impact on customer service as he is (or should be) responsible for the teams performance. It doesn’t matter if it’s face to face or over the phone. The kicker is that any experience in one store (or restaurant for that matter) can affect the opinion of customer service for the entire chain – a sobering thought for any regional or district manager…
Hi Todd – you are absolutely right. Every employee in every branch (or store or department) has the ability to boost or bust their company’s brand. And they carry ability into every contact they have with a customer. Managers need to help their people understand how every action and every word is to their company’s success.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Kevin Stirtz
AmazingServiceGuy.com
In this day and age it seems stories like these are a rarity. It’s good to hear that more than one person has had an experience like this. Obviously it cost Lowes a few dollars to replace the woman’s floor, but of course it bought a lifetime customer and fan. If all companies adopted business ethics like this we wouldn’t need the better business bureau. Thanks for the expose.
This all makes a good story but why can’t they take back the Kitchenaid ice maker I purchased from Lowe’s which doesn’t work and Kitchenaid can’t fix and won’t replace. It worked for six weeks and 8 service calls later from three different service organizations, it now doesn’t work at all. The personnel at the local Lowe’s seem to agree with me so why not take back the appliance and then insist Kitchenaid accept it back from you. That is what WalMart would do.
Hi Wayne – sorry to hear your Lowes experience was not as good as it could be. Though many of us have had good customer service from them they are certainly not perfect. You might want to contact their public relations or investor relations. They are sometime able to help cut through red tape and get customers the help they need.
Good luck and thanks for reading!
Kevin Stirtz