I just wanted to pass along a story of a truly honest customer.

The software company I work for put out a version available for download early 2007. It was a success, however for the first two months there was a small problem. As soon as you purchased it, you were able to download it BEFORE your credit card was validated. This led to the company getting burned until it was fixed.

Back in 2007 we had a customer who tried to pay for the download in Pakistan, and then paid for it with a debit card. It was the only card payment he had, and it was rejected. He had no other forms of payment, and we had to write it off as a loss while he got to enjoy using his software for free. Whatever, it was our web engineers' mistake that caused it.

In October 2008 a letter came in the mail with a check from a customer for the Download version. Obviously this raised some questions as we could not process a download order paid by check. I opened up the file with the name on it, and lo and behold, there was the guy from Pakistan who we had written off the charge for.

I called him up, and it turns out that he just moved to the US and one of the first things he did when he had gotten a checking account was to send a check to us for the full amount of the software that we had written off over a year and a half prior.

Honesty, and memory like that is hard to find these days. I wonder if coming from another country and culture had anything to do with it.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Here's their email:

We fixed the error on iPod pricing on our website this morning. And anyone who bought at the wrong price is going to be refunded without asking, no matter how long ago they purchased. Plus we are sending them a $10 gift card so they can add some tunes to their new iPod.

Thanks to your reader for pointing out the mistake. Apple changed prices and discontinued some models with their latest upgrades, and our system—for a reason we have fixed—didn't reflect that.

Inflated prices are not in our repertoire. Actually, getting gear in musicians' hands at the lowest possible price is what we are all about. We appreciate the fair shake we got from The Consumerist. Keep up the good work. No problem will ever appear on your site that we do anything other than solve

Jim at Circuit City's consumer affairs division wrote,

I have some follow-up information on this matter to share with you.

Thanks to your Web posting, we have been able to determine that a few employees at one of our stores incorrectly charged a customer for work that our firedog techs did on the computer that he purchased. The manufacturer notified us that the PC in question did need a repair and we coordinated the repairs with the manufacturer. The customer should NOT have been charged.

We have reached out to the affected customer to apologize to him for any inconvenience and to make sure a refund is provided. We have also taken steps to ensure that our associates are aware of company policies on this issue.

I hope this information is helpful,
Jim

Frankly, we were suspicious that Circuit City was taking advantage of the faulty PC inventory to make a little extra money, so we're happy to see the company step up and correct this oversight so quickly.

I'd just like to follow up with you guys after you were nice enough to post my story and get me help (incredibly quickly!). You guys were able to connect me to Lonny Paul at CompUSA who was able to support my warranty directly. I have my new adapter for my laptop (which I'm using now!), and everything is back to normal. Now, I am very satisfied by the level of support provided by the new CompUSA, however I feel Assurant Solutions is lacking. I would have a expensive Toshiba paperweight if it weren't for you guys, and I really appreciate all the help you guys have given me. Keep up the good work!

Remember, if you can't get anywhere with good-for-nothing Assurant Solutions on your TAP agreement, and you've got a legitimate repair, call CompUSA. From their director of e-commerce:

The All-New CompUSA would like to help ANYONE having issues with service and we hope they will contact our customer service department at 1-800-COMPUSA if they cannot have their issue resolved directly by Assurant.

(Photo: Getty)

Here's Philip's tale of amazing customer service:

Today I witnessed what has to be some of the most outstanding customer service ever offered.
 
This past Saturday my wife & I purchased a large amount of garden furniture at Costco. One of the items was a marble topped table and chair set. When we got the pieces home we discovered that the table top had a flaw and there were critical pieces missing from the hardware. Compounding the problem, we had returned the rented truck we used to move this very heavy piece and no longer had any help either. My wife called the store to find out what our options were. Steve called her back and said that he would come by our house Monday morning with a complete replacement set of furniture.
 
True to his word, Steve and Jay arrived Monday at 11am and proceeded to unpack a new tabletop. The replacement was also slightly marked but not as deeply as the original and a little time and elbow grease had it good as new. We then started searching through the new boxes for the missing hardware. Eventually, we all agreed the hardware was not shipped either with my original purchase and the replacement they brought out. With the Costco guys standing there, I contacted the manufacturer and was told I would have to fax a receipt and to expect a 10 day turnaround for their missing hardware!
 
At this point Steve and Jay said this was not acceptable to them and they headed off to Home Depot to see what they could source themselves. They returned about 20 minutes later with a bag of parts and proceeded to assemble the table perfectly. In all the process must have taken at least 2 hours and they would accept nothing but a glass of water. We now have a beautiful table in our backyard.
 
I really can't thank Steve, Jay & Costco enough. We have always been big fans of Costco but this really went above & beyond.

Imagine my surprise today when I was unable to contact my pregnant wife utilizing my Sprint cell phone.
 
I immediately called customer service when unable to make calls and spent a total of 145 minutes trying to resolve the problem. Along the way my call was misrouted to the wrong billing system (whatever that means), I was transferred to afterhours numbers, I was hung up on, I talked to three reps who had no grasp of the English language and one who insisted it was an equipment issue even when I told her it had been established that somehow my number had been ported without my consent or confirmation. You can only guess how much fun it is to have someone demand to troubleshoot an problem when it had already been done and demands to do it all over again only to have your call routed the wrong way again. Imagine being recently unemployed leaving applications for work across the last week with a number which is suddenly "dead". Better yet imagine the problem if my wife went into labor or had an accident and had no way of contacting me because for 4 hours my phone was dead except for some random California number was assigned to my account (I live in Oregon).
 
After I was finally handed off to Operator #77303 she did some checking, my number had been indeed ported out to AT&T to no one in particular it was just there. She informed me that not only would it take 4-5 days to try and get this number back if at all. She wouldn't even try and answer me when I asked what would happen if AT&T was to use my number. She gave me a "temporary" number which would be great except for the potential job prospects which no longer have my number.
 
The fact this can happen at no worse time seems to be my luck, the fact my contract was just renewed is ironic as I had read Mr. Hesse was going to turn things around and make Sprint a company that takes care of business- I actually believed what I read.
 
The fact that my number could be taken away in an instant but won't return for a week (if even at all) is disturbing. I would appreciate it if someone would contact me and restore my faith in my decision to remain solely a Sprint customer and hopefully return my limbo ported number back to me safe and sound. It's not the end of the world but when all the events fall into place like they have for me it falls very close.
 
Thank you for your time Robert

Well this morning I was contacted by the executive office and basically within the hour my old number was back and functioning. They had no clue why it had been ported other than possibly someone entered another number wrong. If it wasn't for my executive email contacts gleaned from you site I would probably be still waiting days later. Your site has made me a happy man, I can only hope someone else with similar problems is helped down the line to cut through the red tape!
 
Many Thanks! Robert

Kristina writes,

I am so happy with the customer service I just received from Bank of America that I wanted to write in and share.

I went on a Caribbean cruise at the end of February and had written a post-dated check to my roommate to cover my rent while I was gone (I had enough funds in my savings to cover the check, but I wanted to continue to earn interest. I was unaware that post-dated checks can be cashed before the date of the check - that was my error). Unfortunately, my roommate forgot (immediately) that I had asked her to wait to cash it until Feb. 29 (my payday) and cashed it on Feb. 22.

I had little avenue for communications while on my cruise, so I did not notice that my checking account was overdrafted until Feb. 29, and I had been assessed a total of $345 in overdraft fees. On the BOA website, it says that when an overdraft occurs, BOA "will send a notice informing you: The item was paid; Your account is overdrawn; You've been charged an overdraft fee; etc." Since I am signed up for e-statements, I assumed that meant these notices would be sent via e-mail. It turns out they are sent by postal mail, but that is not clear on the website.

At any rate, I called BOA Executive Customer Relations at (704)386-5687 and spoke with Matt Gross. After briefly explaining the circumstances of my situation, he refunded $325 to my account (we agreed that the first $20 fee should stand, as it was my mistake re: being able to cash post-dated checks, but that since that should have triggered a notice which would cause me to transfer funds from savings to checking, the rest of the fees should be refunded). This process was quick and easy, and Matt was extremely pleasant and helpful. A mistake that could have cost me $345 has now only cost me $20 and has ensured that I remain a loyal BOA customer.

I hope that you share this with the community so everyone can see that some banks are not trying to nickel and dime us to death!

(Photo: Getty)

In retirement, Mr. Bennett has also scored some victories, including a recent recall of overheating candles and the relabeling of a rust remover. "We really appreciate what he's doing," says John Drengenberg, consumer affairs manager for Underwriters Laboratories, the respected product-safety testing and certification organization. "In a sense he's a kind of hero."

"Marty's a type of guy who finds more enjoyment going into a store and finding violative labels on consumer products than he would playing a round of golf on a sunny course somewhere in Florida," says Steven Garitta, another former CPSC compliance officer, who prefers a restful retirement.

Asked how he felt about being chased from the building, Mr. Bennett says, "It's part of the job." Then he corrected himself. "I mean my old job."

"Safety Inspector Just Can't Stop Poking Around" [WSJ] (Currently accessible w/o registration through Google News)

I wanted to tell you of a good resolution I had at the Seattle, Rainier Ave. Rite Aid pharmacy in Seattle, WA.

First, little background. I have Celiac Disease. It's an immune response to wheat, specifically the wheat protein gluten. This is an issue for prescriptions because some medications use wheat products to bind the pills. Even a spec of gluten can make a celiac sick for a few days. It's not a terribly rare condition because 1 in 130 people in the USA have it.

I went to go get a prescription filled at the closest pharmacy, which was the Rite Aid on Ranier Ave, in Seattle, WA. As I was filling out paperwork to get in their system, I told them I had celiac disease, and could they double check to make sure my medication was gluten free. This is a pretty run of the mill request. I have been a nurse since 1998, and I have had to call in this kind of prescription before I even knew I had celiac disease myself. It's a very basic.

The gal at the counter had to have me repeat myself multiple times, which is okay, it was early morning. However, she still doesn't even understand my request, and starts asking the pharmacist if this medication has "glubellium". The pharmacist looks annoyed, and says he doesn't know. I put on the brakes, and tell her that I can't get that medication then, because I can't have gluten in me. The pharmacist just shrugs, and the gal takes my filled out paperwork and starts putting me in the computer, ignoring me.

I ask again, that there has to be a way to check. Celiac is not that unusual a condition. They continue to show me the bottle, and say there isn't any way to check. Then, the gal asks to help the folks behind me, ignoring the fact that I can't even get the medication if I can't be sure it's gluten free. The pharmacist starts filling my prescription, and I am exasperated.

I tell them don't fill the prescription because if they can't tell me if it's gluten free, I don't want it. The pharmacist looks really irritated by now, and says, "I suppose I could call the manufacturer. That could take a few days." I just start walking out, and tell him I will go to a pharmacy that can deal with celiac disease. There are places that know if there is wheat products in my meds.

I then go home, and call the Kelley-Ross Pharmacy in downtown Seattle. They are flabbergasted that a pharmacist would not look this up for me, and laugh at the Rite Aid guy. Needless to say, I go get my prescription filled down there. They even show me the medication insert to make sure it all looks safe. The nice insert that accompanies most medications, and shows all the inactive ingredients. (When I work in facilities as a floor nurse, often those insert papers come attached on bulk meds we get, so I knew they existed, while at Rite Aid.)

When I get home I write an angry but polite email, containing pretty much what I wrote here.

Flash forward to today.

I just got a call from Billy who is the pharmacy district manager for Seattle. He wanted to contact me to make sure I knew that not being able to tell if a medication was gluten free, is not acceptable. They have a Clinical Service Line, that contains that information, as well as all sorts of other stuff. He was especially hard on the pharmacist for not wanting to even initially look it up. He said he thought only "blind stupidity" could be the reason this happened. The pharmacist in question is out for vacation, but he is going to talk to him when he comes back in. Billy agreed this is a pretty common request, and over all seemed stunned that his pharmacist could have done this.

He was also very cool, and said he understands that I get my medications elsewhere now, but if I ever decided to come back, they will be able to handle gluten free medication. He also talked about some of the PDA supported software that you can use to check the gluten free status of meds and foods.

Overall, I am very happy at this. Billy didn't make any excuses, and took credit for the situation. The pharmacist involved will be retrained, so the next celiac that comes in won't have to deal with what I did. That's the kind of apology, that makes me think I will keep shopping at Rite Aid, although my meds are still set up at Kelley-Ross. My husband still has his medications at Rite Aid, and I am no longer in any big hurry to change that.

It made me very happy to know that the corporation does care that its customers are taken care of.

He also shared some advice with the customer on how she can be better prepared to deal with similar situations in the future—so if she runs into another couple of ignorant pharmacy employees, she can answer her own questions about gluten. And finally, he invited her back. Result: he may not get her business in the future, but he effectively cauterized the wound, and can be certain she won't bad-mouth Rite Aid to other potential customers.

Maybe it's too expensive to train employees to have that much emotional intelligence, but it would be nice if businesses would at least screen for that natural ability in customer-facing new hires.

What do you think—still not enough? Or did Billy handle this the right way?

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(Photo: Getty)

She asked Newegg for help:

I sent two inquiries to the address they supply—rebate@astarelectronics.com—and still have yet to receive any response. Is there any way you guys could try to get their attention? I have copies of my submission, and it's done correctly. I have no idea why they won't get back to me. I'm hoping maybe they would pay attention to Newegg since you guys are their buyer.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. All rebates are issued through the manufacturers directly. However, as you are our valued customer, we have made an exception and credited you $20.00 back onto your original payment method since the ASTAR was bank up. Please allow your account approximately 3-5 business days to finalize the transaction and make the funds available. We thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation.

(Thanks to Andrea!)

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Sadly for those of you in Chicagoland your average gas price is still $3.15—even though the nationwide average has sunk to $2.78. May's peak national average was $3.18.

Sorry, Chicago.

Here are a few prices from other cities:

-St. Louis, Mo.: $2.52

-Baton Rouge, La.: $2.65

-Houston: $2.66

-Atlanta: $2.72

-Boston: $2.78

-Washington: $2.84

-Boise, Idaho: $2.94

-Los Angeles: $2.85

Survey: Gas prices drop a dime [CNN Money]
(Photo:diaper)

Home Depot has agreed to sell its Home Depot Supply Unit to three private equity firms — Bain Capital, the Carlyle Group and Clayton Dubilier & Rice for $10.3 billion, the buyers announced this afternoon, confirming a report by DealBook.

Home Depot To Sell Business Supply Division For $10 Billion [NYT]
(Photo: Mr. Oliver)

Universal Default is a contractual clause that lets a lender raise your rates to the default rate if you default on obligations with other lenders. Default rates are usually 24% and up.

A debtor who defaults with one lender represents an increased financial risk, and it makes sense for other lenders to raise their rates to reflect the increase. However, going from the low teens to 24% is simply onerous. Also, it just doesn't seem to make sense, economically or from a customer service standpoint, to treat someone who has defaulted elsewhere as if they have defaulted with you.

In any event, Universal Default is gone at Citigroup. Here's hoping other credit card companies will follow suit. — BEN POPKEN

Citigroup eases credit card rate-rise policies [Reuters] (Thanks to Roxxane!)
(Photo: justin)

About this photo, Citigroup's logo contains a red umbrella. This picture shows young people frolicking under a red umbrella. There you have it. UPDATE: elton notes that Citigroup actually dropped the umbrella from its logo. We think this makes this picture's use even more poignant. Citigroup has dropped (one of) its old ways. The duo are cavorting under a vestige of the old system. It's like dancing with a piece of the Berlin Wall. Very meta.

Has good experiences, twice.

Universe implodes, then explodes, settles for taking deep breathes in a brown paper lunch sack...

Josh writes:

"Greetings. I figured I'd tell you about my positive shopping experience at Circuit City. I've actually had two, believe it or not. One was in Kennesaw, GA (on Barrett Pkwy) and the other was in Vinings (a suburb of Atlanta in Cobb County, GA). In Kennesaw, I got the computer I wanted, the Circuit City financing program I wanted, and no hard sells or upsells. The computer guy seemed to intuit that I knew my stuff and answered my questions without trying to BS me.

So, when I wanted to buy a TiVo, I went back to Circuit City. They were out of them at the Kennesaw store, so I went to the Vinings store. The guy who helped me in TVs was new, and made sure he didn't mess up by telling me up front "I'm new, let me go check on that for you". He let me open the box so I could look at the back of the unit I would actually be buying. He held it on a shelf while I went over to networking. The two guys I talked to in networking were also very helpful.

I know a lot of people who have had bad experiences at CC, but so far this century, mine have all been good. At least, here in Georgia."

[photo]