As sent in a letter to Becker Furniture World:
I am writing to you to tell you of my experience with Becker Furniture World. My history with your furniture stores goes back almost six years and is one that I leaves me with much dissatisfaction.
Spring of 1999, I purchased a couch and loveseat. I will spare you all of the details by just stating that in less than one year, a local technician was sent by Candy, Becker Furniture World Customer Service, four times. There was a short time, when the coach was held up with Tupperware and soup cans because the legs continued to fall off. Within the first year, the set was returned to your store and I purchased a second set.
The second set was in my home for less than four months when I called Candy to let her know that a seam had not been accurately stitched and was beginning to split. Having purchased the Stain Safe Warranty program, Candy referred me to them. I contacted Stain Safe and they sent a technician to my home. The technician told me he was unable to fix the problem but would order me a new cushion. I waited several weeks, and heard nothing. I called Stain Safe and they had no record of my claim, the technician's visit or a cushion order but instead, asked that I file second claim. While I was filing the second claim, the Stain Safe representative, asked me to pull my couch away from the wall and visually inspect every square inch to be certain nothing else was wrong with the furniture. I was asked to do the same with the loveseat. Upon inspection, I told the Stain Safe Representative that a similar problem was occurring with one of the throw pillows but I was unconcerned because I planned to replace them with accent pillows once I found an area rug that I liked. I was told that within 10 business days, a local technician would be contacting me to set up a time to come and inspect the issue. (Please keep in mind, this is the second claim, the second inspection and each time I was required to take an afternoon off from work.) I waited the 10 days for a technician to contact me and this did not happen. I contacted Stain Safe again and they told me that my claim was denied sight unseen. The reason is that because there was an issue on two separate pieces, the cushion and the throw pillow, the warranty became null and void. I am certain you would agree, this is absolutely ridiculous but Stain Safe would not entertain the conversation. I contacted Becker Furniture World for assistance.
After speaking with a sales representative to better understand the warranty, I was contacted by the Vice President of something or other with the first name of Jim. It is my understanding that Jim must be the individual that handles Becker Furniture World's vendor relationships. Jim informed me that Becker Furniture World's relationship with Stain Safe had significantly changed because of their inability to stand behind their product. Jim asked me to file a third claim with Stain Safe and if they would not stand behind their warranty, Becker Furniture World would. It was at that time that he referred me to Candy and asked that I contact her once I heard back from Stain Safe. I filed my third claim with Stain Safe.in the meantime, Candy had contacted me asking for the number that was located on the couch. Once again, I was denied by Stain Safe. Candy said that she would just order the cushion. A few weeks later, Candy called and left a message that said the cushion had arrived and I could come and pick it up anytime. I called her and said that I would like her to mail it and I was willing to pay for the shipping. She called me and gave me my total. The total was not for just the shipping but also for the cost of the cushion. Having been told that Becker Furniture World would stand behind the warranty, I was thoroughly disgusted and canceled my order.
Since this time, I have spoke with Mark Kennedy, Candy and Candy's supervisor, Sherry. The best offer, yet offensive, I received came from Candy. She offered to send a technician out, free of charge, to install my couch cushion but I would continue to be responsible for the cost of the actual cushion. This offer was more ridiculous than Stain Safe's nullification of the warranty due to a double claim.
To be honest, the manufacture's defect in my coach, the issues with Stain Safe's warranty purchased through your organization, the work of the several claims I have had to file, the countless hours on the phone, and the drive from St. Paul when I spoke with Mark Kennedy is really only half of the issue that I have with your store.in my conversations with your store, my integrity was challenged. I was told that if Becker Furniture World were to believe every customer that walked in the door or called on the phone, Becker Furniture World would be out of business. It is this comment that leads me to write this letter.
Because of competitive pricing, any organization that works with the public, works in a service industry. The true experience of any major purchase is emotional it is how you make me feel that determines how I feel about my purchase. I recently read an article written by the Harvard Business Review that outlines the importance of customer service. I encourage you to read it as I believe it could impact the way you and your employees do business moving forward. The article talks about the importance of one question: How likely is it that you would recommend Company X to a friend or colleague?
Http://harvardbusinessonline. Hbsp. Harvard. Edu/b02/en/common/item_detail. Jhtml;jsessionid=E300B2AZ4BGPMCTEQENSELQ? Id=5534
I am certain you know my answer. What you don't know, and what you will never know, is how my answer to this question truly impacts your business. You do not know how many people I will continue to tell this story to. Frankly, given my experiences with the staff of Becker Furniture World, I would be surprised if you care.
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