Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Spoiled Silly

Today, a friend sent an email to his entire address book, which includes me. (I'm a fan of the Blind Carbon Copy field, by the way). He was forwarding an anonymous email from a disgruntled customer of a well-known retailer.

Side note: If you are going to take the time to rant and complain and trash a company, at least have the character to sign your name.

Apparently this customer was unaware of the store's 14-day return policy, capped by a 15% restocking fee on opened items.

Even though the policy was written on the back of the receipt, you know how we humans are: we don't like to take responsibility, and prefer to blame another person for not paying attention to or inquiring about the rules. Or we don't agree with the rules and start to challenge their validity.

As I pondered whether to respond to the email, I had an epiphany as to why I was lacking empathy. It’s because the scenario rarely, if ever, comes up for me. Much of my everyday shopping is with a company that has a 180-day 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee return policy--Amway Global.

As a customer of Amway Global, I have been spoiled silly—I can try any product with zero financial risk. I can use a product for up to 180 days. If I don't like it, I can return it--and they even pay for the shipping back, supplying a self-addressed postage-paid label with every order.

As a customer of Amway Global, I give them my loyalty because they have earned it by placing a high value on me and millions of other customers.

And as a business owner of ZaggieMac.com, which contracts exclusively with Amway Global and its affiliate stores, I am proud to offer that same return policy to my clients. How great it is to work with a company that stands solidly behind its products.

In an increasingly impersonal business climate marked by a short-sighted, dismissive mindset, Amway Global stands miles apart.

Even more impressive is the quality of their products, which enables them to offer such a generous return policy. In over a decade as a customer, I’ve seldom had to take them up on their offer.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Here are a couple of other reasons to buy from Amway Global.

1. You are purchasing product from an Independant Business Owner, therefore your purchase is going to a locally owned business.

2. The products are made in America! Not sweat shop labor, not made in xyz country!

DAM said...

Hey Bridgett. Is your website through WWDB?

Bridgett said...

Hi Meg,

You're talking about my retail site, yes? If so, yep, it is.

Anonymous said...

It is not free return policy anymore. Amway charges $6.95 service charge for any product you return. This does not apply for the customers though. I am sure you are aware of this already

Bridgett said...

Anon,
You are correct. Since writing this post 13 months ago, Amway now charges IBOs (reps/distributors))a return fee on an order (not per product).
Retail Customers (those who do not sell the products) do not have any return fees.
To avoid such fees, I find it good idea for those who sponsor new IBOs to help expose these new IBOs to the products. Such as the Introductory Product Pack, which has a variety of products and product lines and a far below market value price.
As well as through something like a "grand opening" setting, so that the new IBO can sample the products first, before they order them for themselves.