Friends!
Did you know that complaining to Retail companies will get you just about anywhere? It's true, and I can't believe I'm just now discovering this! Don't worry, don't worry, I try to be very pleasant with my complaints. Some recent cases in point:
The used 13" MacBook I bought from FG2 to use when I start school this fall had a cracked area under the right wrist-rest. I figured that because I bought it used and it was no longer under warranty, the best I'd be able to do would be to fix it with duct tape (so sad!). However, when I started digging around online, I discovered that this is apparently a known issue with this particular model, and that Apple stores would sometimes replace the cracked wrist-rest for free. So I wandered on over to my local Apple store Genius Bar, and lo and behold they fixed it, for free, in about the space of two hours. So now my MacBook feels all shiny and new!
Another case in point, and again it involves an expired warranty. Our Whirlpool wall-mounted microwave works fine, but the food vent grill above the unit inexplicably fell off one day because the plastic mounts holding it in place had spontaneously snapped. I called Whirlpool to see if it was still under warranty, and was told that it was not. I then said these words to the Customer Service rep: "Can you help me order the replacement part?". I meant this strictly in a literal sense, as in "Can you place this order for me?". I think she took it as "What can you do to cut me a deal?". She immediately responded "I can give you 50% off." Um...ok! Sure!
This gave me an idea. I have a pair of Dansko clogs I purchased in 2001, and while I really haven't worn them very often, I sometimes wear them when my knees are hurting after a run (they're so nice and cushy). I wore them the other day and the right heel simply crumbled while I was driving home from work - the rubber material appeared to have some sort of catastrophic failure and just fell apart. I emailed Dansko and they informed me that with 8 year old shoes they can't really justify any sort of warranty replacement, but they sent me $20 in customer appreciation coupons for my troubles. Free money! Simply for the effort of writing in to (politely and pleasantly) complain.
Now I'm addicted. I wander around my house looking for items that are broken or breaking. I remembered that my Nike Imara Fit watch, purchased in 2007, is falling apart. I called Customer Service who said that even though the warranty expired two weeks ago, Nike will probably honor it and fix my watch for free. Wheeeee!
I don't usually count myself as a bargain hunter, but something about this whole process is very soothing to me. As someone who loves to buy STUFF, but who can no longer afford new STUFF for the time being, I very much hate it when my current STUFF breaks. I mean, I pay a lot for this wonderful STUFF, and it should be well-built enough to last for many years, but it so rarely does. In the past my solution was to toss or donate the STUFF and buy new STUFF, but I like this solution so much better. So thank you, Retail companies, for standing behind your STUFF. Now if only Service companies (hello Time Warner Cable, I'm talking to you) would do the same. They know, however, that they have us by the balls and we're forced to use their services because we have no other choice. Bastards.
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