Going to bat for my customers....

At the end of the day, there are only two things that separate one store from another. Price and Service. It's where you make your mark, and I've always been a Service store - yet try to be highly competitive on price as well. Thought I'd share this true story about a recent situation that came up on a pair of Hancock & Moore recliners.

I had a customer order a pair of Austin Swivel Glider Recliners with Battery Power. They arrived and as you might know, the whole battery power thing is relatively new. The battery pack just kind of lays on the floor, just like the plug-in models have done for years. My customer called me up within a few hours of delivery and said "Duane, this battery pack bangs around on the chair base whenever I swivel the chair and that's unacceptable for how much these chairs cost". Now what are the three responses once can do as a dealer? I'll tell you:

1) "That's the way they come from the factory, sorry, there is nothing I can do" (this is what you will get from 90% of all dealers)

2) "I'll send my delivery guys over there and maybe we can zip tie it to the frame for you" (the remaining 9%)

3) "You are right. That shouldn't be. Let's get H&M to engineer something and retrofit it" (that's the 1%).

You would be correct if you thought my reply was # 3. I agreed with her assessment. # 2 would work until you had to recharge the battery, then the zip tie would have to be cut. So, I called the person at H&M responsible for that and we got into a rather combative disagreement about it. I kept saying "Its not right" and all I got back was "You're the only one to complain about it, doesn't seem to bother anyone else. We've never done it and don't see the need to". At the end I was not getting any traction so I gave up with that particular person and called the principal owner of the company direct. Nothing like going to the top, is there? I outlined the issue in detail and even told him how to fix it, and polished off my presentation with "You are Hancock & Moore, the best in the business, you have to do it to a higher standard than the other guys" (and that is true - the are the best and to be the best you have to knock out the problems).

Three weeks later I have a 'kit' to fix the loose battery pack done just as I requested, A sleeve that the battery pack slides into and uses specialty velcro to adhere inside the chair. When its time to recharge the battery the pack simply slips out of the sleeve and plug in the wall socket. Perfect. And the kit came with instructions and all attachment materials. My customer called me to tell me it was now "perfect" after my delivery guys went over to install them this morning and from now on all the battery pack swivel recliners will have it done in from the factory.

This is what I do at my store. I help find solutions wherever possible and its what sets me apart from all the other stores.