An elderly man who couldn't shop online posted a letter with cash instead, the online retailer did something remarkable in return
Many of us take the internet for granted, we expect to have fast access wherever we go, but while many under 30's have grown up with the internet for most of their lives, it's not something that comes naturally to all.
78 year old Australian Trevor Head certainly hasn't mastered it just yet. After browsing the Kogan online store (they are a 100% online retailer), he spotted something he wanted to buy. A Digital Breathalyser.
Now despite the large number of payment options Kogan offer, cash obviously wasn't one. Unfortunately for Trevor he doesn't have a credit card and therefore PayPal etc... but he does have cash. He decided to send Kogan a handwritten letter, specifying the item he wished to buy enclosed with the $15 cash inside.
"Kogan,
Please find enclosed $15 for the purchase of a DIGITAL BREATHALYSER as advertised by you on the internet.
Thanking you, yours faithfully, Trevor.
Normally such a request would most likely go unnoticed, maybe a few laughs in the office and the letter being returned saying they don't take orders through the post. And fair enough they don't, if they did, many would and it would be unmanageable.
But the response Trevor got was brilliant. Above and beyond what they needed to do. From the CEO himself, Trevor received a letter, the requested item and a $100 gift card!
"Hi Trevor,
Thanks for your lovely note. We unfortunately do not normally accept mail orders with cash in an envelope.
As a 100% online store, the transaction must normally go through our website, Kogan.com.
We do make it as easy as possible by accepting a range of payment methods, including credit card, PayPal, gift cards, interest free and rental options.
However, your letter really made me and the team smile, so we’d be more than happy to help you out in this instance. Included in this package is the breathalyser product you ordered.
You can also reach me on my personal number XXX-XXXX-XX and I’d be happy to run you through a quick tutorial to show you how to shop online (so you can ditch snail mail) at our website, or any other online store.
To get you started, I have included a $100 Kogan.com giftvoucher so you can practise your online shopping skills on any of the thousands of products we have in stock.
All the best, Ruslan Kogan, founder and CEO of Kogan.com
Trevor Head said, he was very appreciative of Kogan's efforts and would look at taking internet lessons. Having just got online in the past 2 years Trevor is still confused by it all. “Sometimes, these boxes just pop up on screen and I don’t know what it means so I just shut the computer down,” he said.
The expectations of customer service these days is getting higher an higher. Consumers expect a high level of customer service as standard. People say if you provide good customer service you will get good word of mouth. And while this is true you will get good word of mouth, people won't should about good service, as this is now expected.
However, remarkable customer service which goes beyond the norm is something people will shout about offline and online. And living in the age of social media and the internet in general, remarkable customer service will get heard well beyond first connections.
I'm sure Trevor will be a loyal future customer to Kogan and I'm sure they've boosted their rep and reach with the buzz it generates online.
All in all 10/10 on the customer service side of things.
Have you ever gone above and beyond in your customer service role? Let us know what you did in the comments below.
