What do flashlight manufacturer Maglite, bathroom fixture maker Kohler, and manscaping maven Mangroomer have in common? Awesome customer service, that’s what. All three companies have impressed me in the past week with top-notch customer service.

Maglite Rave

Maglite Customer Service Rocks

First, I noticed last week that one of my C-cell Maglite flashlights was missing the rubber cap that covers the switch and keeps dust, debris, and water from getting inside the housing. I searched online and found that I could buy them from a number of retailers for only a few dollars, but the shipping charges were more than the cost of the cover. I called Maglite to see if I could order one on the cheap. In under 3 minutes, the customer service rep had taken my name and address and told me she was shipping out two to me, free of charge. Based on their performance alone, I already own a murder of Maglites. But but the next time I’m in the market for another flashlight, guess which brand I’m gonna buy?

Kohler Rave

Kohler Customer Service Rocks

I already knew Kohler had top-notch customer service. Over the years, they’ve never flinched to replace (free of charge) a number of shower valves, toilet flappers, bathtub fittings, and other various parts. A few weeks ago, they sent me a replacement mixing valve for a leaky shower in our master bathroom, but they only sent the valve section — instead of the complete valve set that also allows me to replace the cartridge and rubber O-rings that actually make contact with the copper hot and cold feed lines (and is generally the cause of leaks when the rubber wears). When I called Kohler’s 800 number, their rep made no excuses. He said “Yep – we screwed up. They should have sent you both parts. I’ll have the additional parts to you in a couple of days.” He then stayed on the phone with me for another 10 minutes explaining how to replace all the seals on a toilet tank (which is a project I’m considering in the future) and rattled off all the part numbers I’d need. That’s customer service and integrity. It’s too bad talking about such things is so rare these days. Whenever I replace Delta or American Standard bath fixtures in a plumbing project, wanna guess which brand I always replace them with?

Mangroomer Rave

Mangroomer Customer Service Rocks

I’m a manly man — in the tradition of Burt Reynolds, David Hasselhoff, Alec Baldwin, Ton Selleck, and Cousin It. In other words, I’m a hairy dude. Last May, I took a chance on what I thought was a gimmicky product on Amazon that promised manly men it could turn their backs and shoulders into billiard-ball smooth surfaces: I purchased a Mangroomer Pro. It worked great… for about 3 uses. And then it stopped recharging  I don’t know if the problem was with the charger, or with the unit itself, but after the trimmer finally hummed to a halt when the battery died completely, then I relegated it to a drawer in my bathroom, where I forgot about it.

Today, 10 months later, as I was thinking about our family’s upcoming Spring Break Caribbean cruise, I remembered the Mangroomer. I figured the warranty was probably only a month or two, and so I was prepared to purchase another one and hope for the best. But before re-ordering from Amazon, I visited the Mangroomer website, and discovered that their Pro model (which I’d purchased) had a two year warranty. I was pleasantly surprised, but I figured the process of filing a warranty claim wouldn’t be worth the trouble. They did, however, have a toll-free number, so I called it. A friendly male voice answered the phone (smart – nobody wants to talk to a chick about their busted back hair shaver), and took down the details of my issue. He promised someone would contact me to address the concern within 24-48 hours. My cell phone says I made that call at 12:49PM. At 1:40PM,  I received the following email:

Steve,

We sincerely apologize for the problems you are having with your shaver. We would like to provide you with a replacement at once, due that you should never have had any problems with your shaver and it is our responsibility to be sure you are always 100% satisfied. Please email us a detailed description of the problems you are experiencing, your original order number and retailer you purchased your product from, digital picture of the product and your current mailing address. Do not worry about sending back the original unit, due that we do not want you to incur any further costs.

We at MANGROOMER® strive to produce the best products available for men’s personal care. Your satisfaction is our top priority.

Thank you and kindest regards,

The MANGROOMER® Team

I replied at 1:44PM with the requested info. At 1:46PM (yes – two minutes later), I received:

Thank you for your prompt response. As a result, we are shipping you a new MANGROOMER® PROFESSIONAL Do-It-Yourself Electric Back Hair Shaver immediately and completely free of all charges today, plus a FREE 50 count pack of our new MANGROOMER® Biz Wipes® to show our sincerity. We hope this will make up for this inconvenience and do not worry about sending back the original unit, due that we do not want you to incur any further costs.

Please feel free to contact us at any time with anything additional. We look forward to any feedback or suggestions you may have to help us serve you better in the future. Your satisfaction is our top priority.

Thank you and kindest regards,

The MANGROOMER® Team

And as if that weren’t enough, they were really about to impress me. You see, I had given my Mangroomer a 1 star review on Amazon.com, complaining about the fact that it stopped taking a charge after three uses. A couple hours later, I received the following:

In addition, we have just been notified of your negative review posted and kindly ask for your prompt removal of it. We feel we more than made up for the problems you had with your shaver by shipping you a new shaver immediately, plus with a free gift.

We look forward to any feedback or suggestions you may have to help us serve you better in the future. Your satisfaction is our top priority.

Thank you and kindest regards,

The MANGROOMER® Team

First, that’s bold. And I love bold. I respect it. These guys are serious about their online reputation, and they had the cojones to stand up and say “Bro – we hooked you up. How’s about a hookup in return?”

I didn’t even wait to get back home to delete my 1 star review. I signed in to Amazon on my iPhone, nuked it immediately, then emailed this back to them:

Thanks – I was planning on updating the review, but I’ve deleted it per your request. I’ll write a new review when the replacement arrives. Sound good?

Thanks again,

Steve

Sent from my iPhone

They fired this back:

Steve,

Thank you and please feel free to contact us at any time with anything additional. We look forward to any feedback or suggestions you may have to help us serve you better in the future. Your satisfaction is our top priority.

Thank you and kindest regards,

The MANGROOMER® Team

So these guys fix hairy backs and they pwn at online customer service. If I weren’t so manly, I’d kiss them full on the lips. But I am manly. So I shall honor them with a virtual high-five (slap). I even clicked the link in their email’s footer to “Like” them on Facebook. Likes are manly, too.

Wrap Up

So there you have it: three perfect examples of exactly how to handle your customer service. All three of them treated their customer as if he wrote a blog that receives thousands of readers every day, and they believed that he’d blog about his interaction with them. So light up the dark with a Maglite, only shower with Kohler, and don’t dream about taming your back-jungle without your trusty Mangroomer. Their customer service has earned my business, my respect, and my hearty recommendation.