Who, Me? Normal? Part 2

I received my replacement coffee maker and returned the cut-off cord from my old one as requested. I was enjoying my new machine but was becoming increasingly annoyed by a slight problem. When raising the lid to make coffee each morning, there was a lot of water condensation inside the shower head. This made it impossible for me to prepare my coffee the night before for auto brewing. My freshly ground coffee had to be added at the last minute to keep it from becoming a soggy mess. At first I thought I could live without the auto brew function. After all, my previous unit did not have a timer, and I prefer my coffee beans freshly ground, anyway. (I told you I was a coffee snob!) But, the longer this problem continued, the more concerned I became about what might be growing in this moist environment.

I went back to the KA forum and sent out a message to the moderator. I wasn’t expecting anything except perhaps a tip on how to prevent this problem. The moderator, however, was concerned, arranging to send me a new coffee maker. Oh dear. I argued, saying it wasn’t necessary, but she insisted that I shouldn’t have to settle on using only the basic functions of the machine.

This seems like a good time to brag on KA. They have a customer service policy that meets—I mean exceeds my standards. (And that’s saying a LOT. I EXPECT a lot.) I used to manage a busy call center and know that excellent customer service can be given if companies choose to respect their customers. That’s what it is—a choice. KA is dedicated to its consumers. I mean, really, how many companies do you know of that would recall a 5-year-old product? And replace it with a brand new (not refurbished) one? I didn’t even get that kind of treatment when my portable DVD player died still under warranty. KA recalled a tremendous number of coffee makers (250,000?) because a handful had caught fire. As in 11 or 13—I forget which. Wow. Don’t you wish everyone did business that way? This kind of attitude makes me WANT to do business with them. And I do.

Back to my story. I was embarrassed that I was being sent yet another coffee maker. After all, I knew there were zillions of people waiting for theirs, and I was hogging them all. I was told to keep my current unit until the next new one arrived. I had to wait for quite a while, but finally, finally one day I came home to another white box on my porch. I was terrified that the UPS ogre had tromped it to smithereens again. Ahhhh…not so. All was well. I made a pot of coffee. Oh, yeah. Excellent. Sweet Success.

I got up the next morning, ground my beans, and brewed an outstanding pot of java. Life is so good! I went to work and had a great day. Life is so good! I pulled up in my driveway, and—jiminy cricket—what’s that? It’s a white box. It looks like a ….. NO WAY! It can’t be! Oh, but it was. Coffee maker number four. Somewhere between the moderator and Kitchen Aid Customer Service, my replacement was entered into the computer twice. Four coffee makers. I had visions of angry people all over America hating me.

Back to the KA forum. (What would I have done without it?) I was told I had to call Customer Service. I did and spoke to an entry level CS rep. Here’s where it got really sticky. Machine #3 had been entered as a defective replacement. Machine #4 had been entered as a recall replacement. That meant I was required to mail a severed cord, or I would be charged full price for the unit. No way was I going to destroy a brand new coffee maker. I tried to explain to the rep—several times—several ways—what had transpired.

Finally, I just said, “Look. Here’s the bottom line. You sent me 4 coffee makers. I sent you 3 and one cord. We’re even. ” The rep agreed that this situation was way beyond her ability to help. She said she would have to meet with her manager. I wholeheartedly agreed. She promised to call me if there were any problems. She never did.

Perhaps I was able to illuminate a flaw in KA’s system, helping them to improve themselves for the greater good of mankind. Meanwhile, I am still making excellent coffee every morning. Life is so good!