Ashdown Customer Support = A+
As I wrote in my post “The Bass Gods Smileth“, I recently acquired an Ashdown MAG 300 bass head. It’s a great bass amp and I’m really happy with it. The only minor concern was that it was missing a knob. No big deal really, since I figured I could just order one from the manufacturer. I contacted Ashdown via email and received a very quick reply. Impressive, since they’re located in Essex, UK. I explained my situation and the service manager said he would just mail me the knob. From the UK. For free. And he did! That is amazing customer support. I’m impressed with this kind of policy. It seems most companies have lost the ability to recognize the long-term value of solid customer service. It makes the difference between being a loyal customer and being a shopper.
I’ve done a lot of shopping this holiday season, and most of the customer service I’ve experienced has been deplorable. Cashiers carrying on cell phone conversations while working at the register. Disinterested / aloof salespeople, ignoring obvious customer support opportunities in the store and clearly telegraphing their annoyance at being on the job. And no authority… there is a near-total lack of empowerment to make good customer support decisions. It doesn’t matter how much the managers care or how hard they work if the line employees don’t internalize these values as well, and that won’t happen if those employees don’t feel like they’re invested in the outcome. Simply put, there are businesses on the “naughty” list and I won’t be in much of a hurry to return to them. And there are some businesses like Ashdown, who make the “nice” list. I’m officially a loyal customer.