Yesterday was an interesting day to say the very least. I knew it was going to be a long one as I needed to head into London on First Great Western trains – probably the worst train company in England. After the usual train and Tube delays, it started going really pear-shaped when I left my mobile phone on the Underground at Whitechapel. It got worse when a woman in front of me in the queue at the coffee-shop at Barking Station fainted as soon as I stepped up next to her. The day continued in this downward spiral when I rocked up to my 1.00 o’clock meeting at 12.55pm, only to find out I was at the wrong location — and that I was facing a 30 minute bus ride or a 15 cab ride to get where I needed to go. (Yes, it was definitely one of THOSE days. Blimey!)
On my way back to Oxford (rather exhausted at this point), I popped into the Vodafone shop at Paddington Station to enquire about a replacement phone. Expecting the worst (having no way to deactivate the SIM in my lost mobile and then having to purchase a new phone at cost), I was gob-smacked by the end result. The Vodafone clerk, Dean (my main man, Dean!) sorted me out in less than 15 minutes with a new phone for free (I was due my contract upgrade), my old SIM disabled and and £100.00 off my account as a loyality reward. Now that is what customer service should be! It’s so rare that large telecomms really come through in customer service, but in this instance, I have to say that I was blown away. It was a real pick-me-up after a whacky and draining day.
Does anybody else have any other stories where a large, multinational company came through with such great services? They are rare indeed, so I wonder if I am the sole beneficiary …
