(Note: Before posting this, I showed a draft to other small business owners. The resounding response was: DON’T POST IT! So I sat on it for a day. It didn’t change my thoughts. We want to be open. Our site is about showing what we do and how we do it at Mobile Edge. I’m proud of my store and my guys. They are true professionals and like all of us, make a mistake from time to time. We can’t show you all the great things we do if we are going to sweep the mistakes under the carpet.)
Steve from New Jersey called us a few months back. He owns a 2011 BMW 550i XDrive and had just read a post on our site announcing that we now install remote starters in many BMWs. He told us how much he loved our site and even bought the e-book I wrote about remote car starters. After spending some time on the phone with us he said that we were the only shop he wanted to do the installation.
We gave Steve an estimated price and he left a deposit via credit card. We ordered the parts and blocked off the appointment. On Wednesday morning, he made the 90 minute drive to get to our store. We had Enterprise Rent-A-Car waiting for him and he was soon on his way back to New Jersey. This particular morning, our area was hit with freezing rain so the drive was less than desirable.
When we pulled the vehicle into the bay and prepped it for the installation, we noticed that the 2011 BMW 550i xDrive was not on the list of vehicles that are supported by the device we ordered. Concerned, we went to our database and discovered that the 2011 BMW 550i xDrive is not supported at all. No method or device that meets our standards is available which would allow us to install a remote starter in this vehicle.
It turns out that we made a sort of Freudian slip. When researching this project and ordering the parts, we typed in 2011 BMW X5. Probably the “XDrive” in the model had something to do this the slip-up. We take our time and we don’t make mistakes like this one. But there is a first time for everything and, in this case, that first time happened to a client from 100 miles away.
We were truly devastated. Myself and my guys were literally sick to our stomach about the situation. We get many clients from hundreds of miles away and we know just how important it is to manage these projects. We had an impromptu staff meeting to decide what needed to be done.
It turned out to be a short discussion. There was only one thing to do. We called the client and explained that we had completely dropped the ball. No excuses. We were careless. We let him down and wasted his valuable time. Bob volunteered to bring the vehicle back to his home in New Jersey. We offered to do whatever else we needed to happen to make the situation right. Thankfully, this client was very understanding. In his words “mistakes happen!” WOW…
Bob drove the vehicle back to New Jersey, filled it up with gas and delivered it to the client’s front door. Steve was, of all things, grateful! He thanked Bob for bringing the vehicle back and complimented us on our professionalism. When Bob got in the rental car to come back home, he found an envelope with his name on it. Inside were two $50 bills, 1 for Bob and 1 for Mike. On Bob’s was a sticky note that says “Bob, This too shall pass – It’s OK!, Steve.”
This started out as a textbook example of how to attract a client through what I call “Branding yourself as the expert.” When you brand yourself as the expert, you have an obligation to live up to that. In nearly every case, we do. In this case we failed.
Of course we refunded Steve’s deposit, paid for his rental and tolls and a full tank of gas. This situation cost us some money, a full day of shop time and a big hit to our ego and pride. From experience, I’ve learned that bad situations, when treated the right way, can usually turn into a valuable lesson. When I arrived at the shop today, I saw Steve’s sticky note behind the counter at one of our computer terminals. Going forward, this note will remind us to take an extra minute to be sure everything is in order and done properly, and that we are fortunate that we get to deal with good people…. Even when we make a mistake.
Awesome story Mitch! This type of dedication is precisely the difference between the standard mobile electronics store and a professional one. Keep up the great work guys, especially you Bob!
It’s all completely true – exactly as Mitch says it here.
My wife Joanne is pretty sensitive to the cold (even short exposure to cold makes her fingers turn blue) – and for a long time I’ve been thinking about getting her a remote start system for our vehicle so she could come out from work and get into a warm car. That idea was reinforced by this year’s tough winter with all its cold and snow – and I redoubled my efforts to locate a high-quality solution.
When I read about MobileEdge, I knew I’d found the right place: an outfit that specialized in quality installations, stood behind its work, and had a long record of satisfying its customers. I made an appointment for initial inspection of vehicle, drove over from central NJ, and was highly impressed with Bob and Mike (who would be doing the actual installation): there was a clear commitment to quality work and an obvious, justified pride in their ability to exceed customer expectations. I was sold.
The end result in this one case was certainly a disappointment, but the way MobileEdge handled the situation reaffirmed my faith in the high character of at least some businesses. There was no trying to wiggle out of it, no attempt to shift blame to the manufacturer or anyone else: just the clear acknowledgment that “We screwed up; it’s totally our fault and we make no excuse. It’s a one in a thousand situation for us; we’re human and not absolutely perfect, and for that you have our heartfelt apologies: we could not be more sorry for this. Now we want to do whatever we possibly can to at least partially make this right with you.”
Wow. You have to respect that. Then the remarkable follow-through. Bob drove my car all the way back to NJ that same afternoon and delivered it with a full tank. Before leaving to come here he also arranged with Enterprise to allow him to drive the rental car back to PA (and, BTW, MobileEdge has an exceptionally favorable pricing arrangement with Enterprise – highly recommended!). My deposit was promptly refunded, as were the rental car costs.
Bob couldn’t have been more apologetic. You could tell he was genuinely sick over the outcome.
This kind of customer care is not one’s usual experience in a situation like this. In my mind it shows amazing integrity. No one is perfect – but in those rare instances, when in spite of all best intents things don’t go as planned, the mark of character is seen in the way you handle the error.
In MobileEdge’s case it’s clear: it will do everything humanly possible to address the problem straight up and completely.
You just can’t ask for more than that. I have immense respect for this operation, and I fully expect to do future business with them when I purchase my next vehicle (hopefully will be later this year): I have complete confidence in my dealings with Mitch and Bob – and would never go anywhere else.
All best to future success!
Steve Ferris