George was able to get Microsoft to pick up the pace and ship him a laptop he’d been waiting for for almost a month thanks to a well-crafted EECB. What I like about his is the little personal story he puts at the beginning that’s very much in line with the “praise with faint damn” approach we’ve advocated in the past.

Here is the letter George wrote:

Dear Microsoft

I have been an avid Microsoft Fan since I spent a summer roofing for my father to buy a computer and Windows 95 license so I did not have to use my family’s Mac. Recently, an experience with the Microsoft Store has made me question my dedication to your brand.

On Feb 22 I ordered a Samsung NB30-JP01 from the Microsoft Store over the phone (order #XXX). After calling to confirm the order had shipped the following day, I proceeded to purchase RAM, a new hard drive, and a Windows 7 Home Premium license for use with the computer at a cost of over $200. When the laptop did not arrived on 2/25 as expected, I contacted the store again and was told, for the second time, that the laptop had shipped and I should receive a tracking number very soon. Several more days passed and on my 10 subsequent phone calls I was always assured that my laptop was still in stock and ready to ship; the warehouse was just a little behind.

I began working with your Supervisors XXXand XXX and case number XXX was opened. On March 14, xxx offered to “make the order whole” with the replacement of my ordered item with an ASUS Eee PC 1015PE (a computer with identical specifications). I called the following day to accept his proposal but was told that the request has been escalated and I would receive a call back on the matter. As of today, I have not yet received a phone call and my order remains open.

To resolve this problem, I am requesting that the ASUS Eee PC 1015PE be shipped to me in place of the Samsung (as Nigel had suggested). I look forward to your reply and a resolution within the next ten days.

Sincerely,

George

After shooting this out he got a call back within 90 minutes and his new laptop was FedExed to him with free overnight shipping. Hoorah!

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.