Haje’s Brain

There are a few companies that have gone all out to ensure that they do customer service the right way – interestingly, big companies tend to not bother all too much.

Virgin in general, and Virgin Wines in particular, are an exception: They really get it right. I recently cancelled my ‘winebank’ scheme with them, which resulted in a surprisingly positive customer service experience.

The Winebank – if you would allow me the aside, because it’s relevant to the punchline of this blog post – is a merry way to dodge the credit crunch. I have no opinion about if it’s safer than a bank, but it’s certainly more fun. Anyway: deposit £X into an account every month, get 0.33*X in interest – so 20 quid a month gets you £80 to spend on wine every 3 months, which equals about a case of wine. I haven’t sat down to do the maths to see whether the WineBank actually makes financial sense (I feel it’s cheaper than buying single bottles from my local Waitrose – or Asda, for that matter – but it’s definitely more convenient) , but I liked the service, and have been subscribed for about a year. The outcome is that I always have plenty of wine ready for impromptu parties or when I suddenly need a gift for someone. Excellent.

Anyway, I figured about a year was quite enough, so I cancelled my membership, and then promptly received a very lovely e-mail from the MD:

Dear Haje Jan

What have we done wrong?

I offered to pay you WineInterest on the money you spend with us. And I promised to refund you for any wines you don’t enjoy. But you’ve still decided to cancel your WineBank membership. Why?

If we have upset, or disappointed, you in any way, please accept my sincere apologies. We always try to make sure our customers are 100% happy with our wines and our service. But we’re only human, and sometimes we mess up.

If we have done something wrong, please let me put it right. Drop me a line at jayw@virginwines.com and I promise I’ll sort it out.

In the meantime, your WineBank membership has been cancelled. No further WineBank payments will be taken from you. Your £94.99 WineBank balance will remain on your account until you’re ready to spend it.

Cheers

Jay Wright
Managing Director, Virgin Wines

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that this is (probably) an automated e-mail written by a good copywriter, and that the winebank balance is inserted automatically by a computer, or by a vigilant customer services operator – but isn’t it a great way to let customers go? I have had no complaints myself, but being given a direct e-mail address to the MD of the company, who invites you to rant and rave at him for the smallest niggle?

In this case, it works – a company which looks after its customers quite that well deserves my money, and I re-instated (or should that be un-cancelled?) my WineBank account.

So, with the crates and crates of wine on their way to me; A toast to good customer service, and the positive reflection it gives on your brand overall.