I was recently busy with another DIY project, as married men so often embark on, so I popped into a local hardware store for some supplies.  It was not necessarily my favourite hardware store since it had a stigma of being overpriced and poor service on the floor, but due to the wide variety, I knew I was going to find what I was looking for in the short amount of time I had at my disposal.

As expected, shortly after entering I was on my way home with everything I needed.  However, upon my arrival home, I got side-tracked by some family life episode and my project had to wait.  A couple of days later I had the liberty to return to my project, so I collected my supplies from the-table-where-everything-in-transit-goes.  Much to my surprise, and all those around me, I had made a mistake.  I bought the slightly wrong product for what I wanted to do.  At this juncture and to my further surprise it also occurred to me that I, or more likely someone else, have misplaced the slip of the products I purchased.  Nevertheless, with the product still neatly secured in its unopened packaging, I returned to the hardware store to attempt to salvage the situation.

To my surprise, after a brief consultation with management, the returns department accepted my story and allowed me to return the product with no proof of purchase.  I was elated!  I could return the product and receive a voucher with which I could go buy the correct product and receive some change!

This experience was quite impactful, as I was expecting the worst and received the best.  The result was that warm fuzzy feeling and a sudden overwhelming trust in this hardware store.  As one who places a lot of value on client service, this experience has greatly overshadowed any and all gripes I may have had towards this store.  In fact, I have found myself not only returning to this store as my first option but even referring others to it – something I would not ever have done before.  Although I understand that retailers simply can’t take a blanket approach like this, it did leave me with the impression that retailers should even allocate some of their marketing budgets towards their Returns Departments. If they cannot invest a portion of the marketing budget, at least consider vastly improving this service offer, as this is where trust is earned.  What better marketing than a client (or a number of clients) whose expectations have not only been met but exceeded when returning a product for whatever reason?  Especially with the current and upcoming younger generations who are quick to share an experience online.  I truly believe the Returns Department lends itself to the opportunity to fulfil this marketing feat!

“No longer is it good enough for companies to have the best product or the best service. To grow and succeed, companies must have the trust of their customers and stakeholders.”  – Natalie Doyle Oldfield, Forbes

Author: Wiehan van der Merwe