Customer Service

Ok, so it seems like I've been trying out the customer service of many companies lately. When I got my stroller before Emily was born, it was missing the toy steering wheel. Now, the stroller would work just fine without it, as a matter of fact it isnt even on it yet, but the fact was that it was supposed to have been there. This wasnt a cheap stroller. So I contacted Kolcraft and in less than a week, a toy steering wheel arrived on my doorstep. A gold star for Kolcraft, can buy from them again. (If I get pathetic response I will not buy from a company again!) Ok, so fast forward to about three months ago. I got Emily's high chair. Its a really cool one that I had to order site to store from Walmart because no where actually had them in stock. So I get it, poor walmart guy had to carry it out for me because it wouldnt fit in teh cart, and it barely fit in the trunk (he worked a while to get it in there). So I get it home and the leg went MOST of the way on but not all the way. I had just paid (well my mother in law had just paid) over $100 for this high chair, I wanted the leg to go all the way on, so I called Summer Infant up. They said they would send a replacement. Silly me. I assumed they would send me out a replacement leg...nope, got a whole high chair, with correctly fitting legs. Star for them, even though just sending a leg would have been easier.

And then, the next one starts a little before Christmas 2007. I had a cheapo handheld mixer from Walmart that went kaput. Ok, so I had used this for 6 years, how much can you really expect from a $10 mixer. Anyway it was the only one I had, and it clanked and banged and then started spitting metal shavings into my bowl on its way to death. Whatever I was going to bake then ended up in the trash, along with the mixer. I'd got my use out of it, but I really didnt want to spend money on a new one. When out of the blue, a brand new KitchenAid stand mixer appeared on my doorstep. A little mixer fairy had sent it (without asking my permission, but eventually I came to love it). Anyway, so for a little over a year now I've had a nice Kitchenaid stand mixer, making it very quick and easy to whip up a batch of cookies, brownies, whatever, and I can even hold a baby while using it. Was very happy with my mixer. Until last week. Neal wanted brownies so I put all the stuff in the bowl and flipped the switch and nothing happened. No moaning, whining, gurgling noises, absolutely nothing. So I hit the reset switch on the outlet. Still nothing. Tried another outlet, and another and another. It still didnt work. I mixed up the brownies by hand and then pouted. Then I sent Kitchenaid an email (once I got flash properly installed on my computer and could get the email). I calmly and politely expressed my displeasure with my mixer dying and within 24 hours they have informed me that my new mixer should be arriving via fed ex very soon. Just ship the defective one to them with their prepaid mailing label and all is well. So Kitchenaid gets a gold star too.

So all in all I have been having frustration with products not living up to their potential but good customer service. Now I think I'll go have a rice krispie treat. (The marshmallows were free with the purchase of the rice krispies that were on sale...my kind of deal and easy to make with no mixer:)