The pivotal part of the message Sadie left on my voicemail, Saturday, October 10:
"...our managers are here and they' re going to give you all the money back for the cake..."
Wow!
I was totally impressed...
Now THAT is FANTASTIC customer service!
I hadn't even request a refund.
Flashback to Sunday, October 4...
It was Troy's idea to have a photo of Ava's surprise puppy put on her cake.
I placed the order for Ava's birthday party cake at the Raley's bakery in Lincoln.
The woman that took my order, Sadie, clued in on the fact that the party girl was with me as I made the order, and even though Ava seemed to be distracted by all the pretty confections on display in the bakery case, Sadie did a great job nailing down the details on the sly.
I asked if I could pay for the cake right then and she said that was fine or I could pay for it when I picked it up on the tenth. I decided to pay for it right then.
Cool - another detail crossed off my list of things to arrange for the party.
So, Saturday, October 10th, was the day of the big rollerskating birthday party my sweetpea had been enthusiastically counting down to all week. On the way to the roller rink, we swung by Raley's to pick up the cake. It was completely concealed in a cardboard cakebox as requested. Sadie was not there and the lady helping me printed out a balance due tag to stick to the box. The conversation that followed went something like this:
Me: Oh, I already paid for this when I placed the order.
Clerk: The order form is not marked "paid." Do you have your receipt?
Me: I wasn't told I needed to bring my receipt. I don't have it.
Clerk: (checks the name of the person that took the order) Sadie isn't here. Let me check with my manager.
Bakery Manager: You don't have your receipt?
Me: No, I don't.
Bakery Manager: (to bakery clerk) Call Sadie to make sure she just forgot to mark "paid."
Clerk: (returns from the back) We don't have Sadie's phone number.
Bakery Manager: (to me) You can go ahead and pay for this now and bring in your receipt from when you made the order and we will give you a refund.
Me: Really?! hmphf... Even though I ALREADY paid for it?
Bakery Manager: Sorry, it isn't marked "paid."
Me: (irritated) Alllllllright...
Clerk: $32.99...
So...
Minor oversight by Sadie? Yes.
Crisis? No.
Should I have to pay an additional $33 to take the cake for which I already paid and then be inconvenienced to return to collect my second payment of $33?
They are making me feel like I'm trying to pull a fast one on them.
Annoying? Yup.
This IS Raley's - the customer service Mecca of grocery superstores - right?
Whatever.
I'm shelling out cash left and right.
Here, Raley's, tie up some more of my dwindling party funds.
The cake was a hit.
It was a really fun way to reveal the big surprise to Ava.
On the way home from the party, I noticed that I had a new voicemail message.
The message:
Hi, Jessica.
My name is Sadie.
I'm from Raley's bakery.
I'm the one that took your cake order.
Um, I'm really sorry about the, the mixup and, um, I should have written "paid" on there.
I remember.
I remember paying...you paying for it.
I remember taking the order.
Um, if you'd like to come in any time this evening, our managers are here and they're going to give you all the money back for the cake.
Uh, so if you wanna come in, you can stop by the bakery and then, um, they'll take care of it for you.
I'm really sorry about the misunderstanding and if I don't see you today, maybe I'll see you tomorrow.
You're welcome to come in tomorrow if you want to do it then also.
Um, if you'd like to call back, the number is 408-5775 and the bakery's extension four.
Ok, sorry, Jessica.
I'll see you soon.
Bye.
Holy cow!
THAT was totally unexpected and really impressive!
What a genuinely courteous and generous gesture.
Could it be that customer service really IS Raley's true claim to fame?
We all know we PAY for the extras at Raley's, but that voicemail message was GOLDEN.
That sealed the deal for me - I'm a Raley's customer for life.
Many, many more birthday cakes would be purchased by the Kings from Raley's.
It gave me a really good feeling.
In the field of public safety, there is a push for "customer service" that I think is a bit misleading.
First responders and other civil servants should be courteous, polite and respectful, however, it's not like the citizens can take there business elsewhere if they are dissatisfied. Complain? Yes. Expect an on demand response from an officer of a neighboring jurisdiction? Not gonna happen.
A customer, on the otherhand, can choose to take their business elsewhere if the goods/services they pay for do not meet their expectations.
Until that voicemail message, I didn't expect a whole lot from any grocery store.
Customer service, blah, blah, blah...Whatever.
I just want to pay a reasonable price for my Cheerios.
And then Sadie happened.
I had EXPERIENCED excellent customer service.
Ok, so I'm gushing...
Today, Sunday, October 11, I went to Raley's to pick up a few things and collect my refund.
Sadie greeted me at the bakery counter and I told her why I was there.
"Oh, I'm so sorry..." she started.
I cut her off with, "Don't EVEN worry about it! I mean really, no biggie..."
"Oh good...let me get Chris (the bakery manager.)"
So, Chris walked me over to the customer service counter and explained to the clerk, Mike, that I had "forgotten" to bring my receipt yesterday (UH, WHATEVER...) and needed a refund. I had given both receipts to Chris who then gave them to Mike. Apologetically, Chris took leave to the bakery.
Mike punched in some numbers and handed me $33.
Me: Oh, no. I'm supposed to receive a full refund. I paid twice.
Mike: I'm supposed to refund your money for one of the cakes, right?
Me: No. I only ordered one cake, but paid for it two times.
Mike: Um, let me check with the bakery manager again.
- Mike calls Chris -
Mike: (to me) You misunderstood. You are only to be refunded the additional payment.
Me: Oh, well, that isn't what the voicemail I received yesterday said.
Mike: Let me check again... - calls bakery again - ...No, you misunderstood. I'm only to refund $33.
Me: (gritting teeth) Alright.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
Of course, I'd left my cell at home, so I couldn't replay the message for anyone -
not that they seemed interested in listening anyway.
That satisfied feeling I'd arrived with was replaced by a knot in my stomach.
I went home and told Troy.
I called Raley's to speak with a store manager.
Neither manager was in.
The man in charge for the day, Darren, came on the line.
I told him I planned on coming in to talk to him, but didn't want to show up unannounced.
He said to come on down.
You know I did...and I brought my cell.
Darren and I sat down in the little cafe area of the bakery.
He listened to me. He listened to Sadie's message.
He checked with the bakery manager and the customer service clerk.
Sadie had already gone home for the day.
Sorry, there was nothing he could do for me.
I was welcome to take it up with the store director on Monday if I felt that was necessary.
Nope. I would waste no more of my breath.
I decided to type instead.
IT WAS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, I SHOULD'VE KNOWN!
Raley's, though I have ordered several delicious cakes from your bakeries and your deli trays were even served at my wedding reception, I will no longer shop at your stores. There are too many other grocery stores to choose from with employees who have not insulted me.
Sadie, after I heard the voicemail message you left, I decided I was going to write a letter of commendation about you to Raley's. Unfortunately, it didn't quite turn out as I had expected, but that should in no way reflect poorly on you. As far as I'm concerned, you are too good for Raley's. Even if you did misspeak, or were not clear, or whatever, YOU are a prime example of what a customer service representative should be: friendly...polite...helpful...sincere... You should be in business for yourself. I have heaps of cash to throw at any bakery under YOUR leadership.
DSi... guinea pig... 3 dogs... 2 cats... laptop... rat... Tinkerbell... 20 fish... game... TV... 100 Pet Shop (toys)...
She realized she left SISTER and PIANO off the list, so she shimmied them in...
When reminded that sisters and brothers take a long time to grow in a belly, she said, "Uh, HE'S SANTA! I need a brother and sister to be my friends so we can play..."
