As a frequent user of online reservation service OpenTable, Ben’s girlfriend had earned a fair number of loyalty points. She turned these in for a $50 voucher, which she promptly forgot to use. Oh, well, her loss, right? Not exactly.

Hey guys, love the site. Thought I’d write in to tell you about a company going above and beyond with their customer service.

My girlfriend and I use OpenTable a good amount, and in February, she redeemed her account points for a $50 voucher towards an OpenTable restaurant. The other day, we realized that we had forgotten about it and that the 180 day period to use it had passed as of a few days ago. We thought about trying to use it anyway, but worried that a local restaurant that accepted it without looking could end up on the hook if OpenTable didn’t reimburse them. Not expecting much, my girlfriend decided to e-mail their customer service to see if she could get an extension of just a few days.

…[E]ven though the coupon had clearly expired, OpenTable agreed to refund her account points, which she can now use to get a new coupon. Needless to say, we were pretty pleased!

Anyway, just thought I’d contribute a positive customer service experience, as I always enjoy when those are featured on the site.

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