Consumerist
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above and beyond
Allergy Card Company Sends Useful Things You Didn't Order
Select Wisely is a company that makes food allergy/sensitivity cards and medical emergency cards for travelers in a wide variety of languages so you don't need to worry about random shrimp or peanuts showing up in your food on a business trip to China. Reader Michael (commenter LetMeGetTheManager) ordered a set of cards, and was so delighted with their service that he just had to e-mail Consumerist. More » -
above and beyond
Bacon Love Story: A Man, A Dream, A Salted Meat
Brooke's husband, like many sensible people, loves bacon. As a gift, she bought him a subscription to the Bacon of the Month Club. For a few months, they received fantastic bacon and whimsical bacon-related merchandise through the mail, just as promised. Then, suddenly, things went awry in mail-order bacon paradise. More » -
above and beyond
Gourmet Settings Dishes Out Excellent Customer Service
Jeanpaul wanted to buy several replacement spoons for his Gourmet Settings flatware set, but the company didn't seem to sell the pieces individually. After fruitlessly searching both the company's site and eBay, Jeanpaul wrote in asking if there was any way to replace just his missing spoons. Rather than turn him away spoonless, Gourmet Settings asked for Jeanpaul's address and then offered to send the replacement spoons free of charge. More » -
above and beyond
Pixar Arranges Home Screening Of "Up" For Dying 10-Year-Old
We know, that headline just oozes treacle. But it's for real! The family friend of a dying child cold-called Pixar's offices and guessed her way through the phone tree to a live person, then pleaded her case: the child desperately wanted to see Up, but was possibly days away from death and too sick to travel or sit in a movie theater. The next day, a Pixar employee arrived with a DVD of the movie and sat with the family while they watched it. Sometimes people can be really decent to each other. More » -
above and beyond
Saved From Flat Tire Hell By The CVS "Samaritan Van"
Did you know that there was a fleet of CVS "Samaritan Vans" that patrol the highways looking for motorists in need of help? We didn't, until reader Danielle let us know she'd been saved by one. More » -
above and beyond
PopChips: Turning Loyal Customers Into Cult-Like Snack Food Following
If you're wondering how to build a cult-like following for your product, take some lessons from snack company Popchips. In this case, a small amount of free stuff went a very, very long way. More » -
above and beyond
Men's Wearhouse Helps Non-Customer, Gains New Customer
Josh in Pennsylvania was in a bind, and needed his suit pressed for a job interview on short notice. Very short notice—he was called on Sunday afternoon for an interview on Monday morning. The store where he originally bought the suit offers free lifetime pressing, but they weren't open on a Sunday. Trying to find a place that would help him, he made a useful discovery. More » -
above and beyond
Timbuk2 Really, Really Wants You To Be Happy With Their Bags
Jennifer had some problems with a bag she acquired from high-end baggery Timbuk2, and when some stitching started to come out, she sent it in for repairs. When some of the bag's stitching came out, she was treated to a great big pouch full of "above and beyond" customer service. More » -
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above and beyond
Threadless Replaces Stolen Shirt With Style And Grace
Matthew isn't sure who got his order from Threadless.com, but it wasn't him. UPS claims they delivered the package to Matthew's apartment, but the reception desk would've been closed during the supposed delivery time, and Matthew doesn't have his package. Rather than wait for UPS to complete its investigation, Threadless dug up an extra print of their sold-out design and sent it to Matthew, along with a little something extra... More » -
above and beyond
Don't Be So Shocked: Excellent Service From Citibank CSR
"Above and Beyond" service often comes down to the management of a particular location, rather than an individual employee, no matter how big or otherwise problematic a company may be. Fred had such an experience with Venkatesh, the overseas customer service rep he reached when he called to cancel his ancient Citibank account. Venkatesh not only talked him out of canceling the account, but was so competent and nice in the process that Fred felt compelled to speak to his supervisor and write to Consumerist. More » -
fast food
"Frighteningly Loyal" Jack in the Box Employee Now Working A Sane Schedule
Remember Blake, the north Texas Jack in the Box employee Consumerist featured and described as "frighteningly loyal" a few weeks ago? Kevin, the person who originally introduced us to Blake, printed out a copy of the page and drove around with it in case Blake happened to serve him on a snack run. A few days after we posted the story, he did! More » -
above and beyond
Reader Has Amazing Best Buy Experience
Our reader The_Lone_Gunman just had a great experience with the Best Buy in Irving, Texas. Snark fails us at a time like this, so we'll just humbly print his email. More » -
above and beyond
Gander Mountain Fixes Your Flat Tire, Apparently Also Sells Stuff
This may be the bizarro world version of the Bed, Bath and Beyond store that wouldn't let a customer use their phone to dial 911. North of Houston, Thomas witnessed employees of a Gander Mountain outdoor equipment store come to the aid of a motorist with a flat tire. A motorist who, as far as they knew, wasn't even their customer. More » -
above and beyond
Seizure Prompts Wonderful Service From United
United couldn't have been more understanding and helpful after reader Chris' wife had a seizure as they flew from Sullivan's Island, SC to Winnipeg. The flight attendants onboard offered to divert the flight to Chicago, but the couple decided instead to power through. United's staff met them at the gate along with paramedics, and offered to rebook them on the flight of their choice. If they wanted to stay the night, United said they'd be happy to pay for a hotel room. Chris' takeaway perfectly captures the spirit behind our Above and Beyond posts: "Even if United is a horrible company," he writes, "there are still nice people there, and sometimes even big companies surprise you." Chris writes: More » -
above and beyond
Pinkberry Apologizes For Website Error By Offering To Shower Your Office With Freebies
To thank Kelly for pointing out an error on their website, Pinkberry offered to come to her office bearing "a few yogurts and toppings for some of the hard working people that you work with." What error could prompt such an over-the-top apology? Kelly tried to visit two separate Pinkberry locations at 11:30 a.m., which Pinkberry's website lists as the store's opening time. But! The store's don't open until *gasp* noon! More » -
above and beyond
IKEA Flies Your Sofa Cover From Philly To LA In Their Luggage
IKEA isn't really known for their customer service, but apparently one location in LA is trying to change that. More » -
above and beyond
T-Mobile Provides iPhone Support Despite Not Offering iPhone
When a system update caused service failures and bugs in T-Mobile customers' unlocked iPhones, the users emailed T-Mobile to alert them to the issue. Even though T-Mobile doesn't offer the iPhone, they fixed the bugs and gave the users a service credit for the inconvenience. More » -
digital cameras
Above And Beyond: Canon Replaces Broken 5-Year-Old Camera For Free
It shouldn't surprise me when a company stands behind their products' quality, but it really does. One reader was so happy with her experience with Canon that she had to share it with us. More »
above and beyond
New York, 8:19 PM
Fri Jul 3
26 posts in the last 24 hours
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