I blogged recently about the excitement and instant gratification I received from helping one of our users immediately after he had an issue. I’ll expand on that post by comparing my personal experience in dealing with two very successful companies; a wireless provider I will call Acme Wireless and Four Seasons hotel chain.

Last night, I spent over two hours on the phone with Acme because I wanted to find out about the status of my iPhone delivery. An Acme representative originally told me that it would take 3-5 business days. I called last night because I hadn’t received my iPhone or been notified of any delays 8 business days after my original request. One automated machine and three representatives from three different Acme departments later, someone finally explained that my iPhone still hadn’t been shipped and that she had no indication as to when the shipping may finally occur. This last representative said that there was nothing else they could do! My friend had a similar experience and after a month of waiting for his iPhone he went to an Acme outlet and purchased the device at full retail price. He then had to fight for hours on the phone to get reimbursed. I have friends and family that work for Acme, but it’s really hard to recommend Acme for its service after this experience.

Daniel had a totally different experience when he traveled through South East Asia and stayed at the Four Seasons in Singapore. The day before leaving for Thailand, he gave a concierge a traveler’s check and expected to receive US dollars in return. It was late at night when the concierge told him that he could only give him Singapore dollars – but after the check had been signed, rending it useless. Since Daniel needed US dollars, the concierge started making phone calls to find out which currency exchange office could honor Dan’s request.  He couldn’t find any place that could help at first, but the Four Seasons service approach didn’t let him simply say “too bad!”.   The concierge hopped in a cab with Dan and drove around Singapore until he finally found a place where they could process the exchange properly.  This was far above and beyond Daniel expectations, but it was greatly appreciated.  Two hours later, Dan was back in the hotel ready for his departure to Thailand.  Now he is a passionate fan of the Four Seaons, and always recommends it to his friends.

One of our investors and a key adviser, Roger Martin, wrote about how Isadore Sharp‘s approach to customer service is a core competitive advantage for the Four Seasons. Sharp defined luxury not in terms of amenities or features, but instead by the delivery of great, humane service. He pushed responsibility down the chain of command thereby enabling all employees to make a difference. He hired for attitude and not experience. Everyone at Four Seasons is guided by the Golden Rule, which makes customer service everyone’s business:

to deal with others—partners, customers, coworkers, everyone—as we would want them to deal with us.

I don’t think any of the Acme Wireless representatives I talked to last night would enjoy the service they provided me.

Here at Rypple, we work hard to heed Issy Sharp’s advice. We want our users to have a complete and delightful experience so that we can build a strong network together. Issues certainly arise but we try to address them quickly and to exceed our users expectations.

Have you ever dealt with Rypple? Would you agree that the experience was satisfactory? We welcome your comments because, after all, a little feedback goes a long way.