molly.com
Friday 20 January 2006
Now This is Customer Service
MY BROTHER MORRIS RESTORES THINGS. Houses, furniture, appliances – you name it, if he finds something old and can restore it to its original beauty, form, and function, he does.
He was apparently trying to restore a percolator from Corningware Corporation, and despite having found several sources for the handle, electronics and what-not, he couldn’t restore it. So, he sent it, along with a letter, to the Corningware Corporation.
These days, one expects this sort of thing to at best be responded to with a short letter and possibly, a small product discount or gift for the trouble. At best. But Corningware Corporation has gone so far above and beyond the call of duty that Morris was inspired to share their letter with his friends, and now I with you as an example of true brand loyalty on both sides of the relationship.
“After analyzing the Corningware ™ electrical percolator and parts sent to our agency it has been determined that a usable percolator cannot be assembled from them. We regret that you have lost the use of your favorite kitchen appliance due to the fall onto your stone kitchen hearth as you detailed to us. Our warrantee does not extend to the replacement of implements so damaged but we want you to know that the Customer Satisfaction Division strives to retain your loyalty and is committed to providing superior service beyond the terms of the warrantee wherever possible.
We were startled by the flawless condition of the Corningware ™ coffee pot that your household recently procured from old stock in obscure shop on Cape Cod to replace the broken one; so much so that we put it on display in our locked lobby showcase when we were not actively working on it. We verified via the serial number that this item was 26 years old although it appears to never have been used. While ostensibly identical to your old one it unfortunately lacked its’ proprietary power plug set.
Your previous coffee pot was determined to have been 38 years old. In 1975 our company switched from the larger sized power orifice your old unit had to a smaller and safer opening. Your older cord cannot be used with the newer coffee pot. Our company no longer stocks either cord. None of the other power cords from the vast assortment of obsolete Corningware ™ cords you sent along could be used either. In the process of fastidious disassembly by our experts in attempt to resolve the problem by switching handle sets and despite every precaution being taken we regret to inform you that the handle on the newer coffee pot was unfortunately destroyed. As you may understand this is always a risk when attempting repairs on vintage appliances. The Corningware ™ workshop has, however itemized and stored every remaining usable part from both of your percolators for your personal future use.
Rest assured that our every intention to recreate the delightful privilege of perfect personal percolation via the modern convenience of electrical power in your kitchen remains undiminished. Though our original product specifications are no longer available; due to our corporation’s unfortunate bankruptcy during the past decade we are actively seeking out a replacement Corningware ™ coffee pot to perform rejuvenation on for you. After substantial reverse engineering on your vintage unit our experts have gained new knowledge of their mode of construction and various permutations. We can confidently determine whether any Corningware ™ coffee pot located in the future which is not complete with its’ own cord is mechanically compatible with the archived cords.
As always, even though our original company has been re-organized and we no longer produce the legendary Corningware ™ cookware that you are familiar with we continue to stand behind our products with a lifetime guarantee. We were impressed to learn that your family was one of our original customers, purchasing one of our earliest teapots in the mid 1950s, and that the teapot is still in use. This legendary product longevity of over half a century makes us proud, and may also help you, the consumer to comprehend why we went bankrupt.
We extend our apologies for the delay as we search for a suitable replacement. Please accept our gifts of the designer glass coffee press, the modern digitally controlled plastic electric drip method machine, the individual plastic cone filter for your favorite Corelle ™ mug and the familiar looking Cornflower Blue ™ pattern Corningware ™ stove top percolator, all of which we have provided for your service in the interim. Your patience and cooperation is most appreciated. We will strive towards the goal of satisfying you, our customer, until we succeed.”
Sincerely,
The Corning Corporation Customer Satisfaction Division
Now that’s some customer service!
Filed under: faith(less), society
Posted by: Molly | 04:34 | Comments (69)
Wow!
That’s is some service. I’ve read enough posts and articles recently slamming customer service by organisations. It’s really nice to see the other end of the scale.
That is a great story………wouldnt it be great if all organizations were like this.
That really made me smile. And made me search eBay for such a percolator – if only I drank coffee!
“privilege of perfect personal percolation”
Customer service with a poetic flourish!
James – makes me wonder just who wrote this. It’s clearly not a form letter, too much specific detail. But it does have some odd turns of phrase throughout. I do love the alliteration though!
This is what happens when somebody loves their job.
What a smile-jerker!
Molly, I notice you’ve aptly filed it under ‘faith’ – I got to the end of the letter and I was wishing more businesses carried themselves with such care, attention to detail, and honesty. Its funny how just one example can pep that feeling of hope.
Relating it back to myself, I realise this letter was possible for two reasons – and not just the integrity of the business in question. The second factor was the customer, your brother. How many of us deal with clients as passionate about the products and/or services we provide? At a rough guess, I’d say about half of my clients would share a fraction of my enthusiasm for their own projects.
[...] A letter sent from Corningware to a customer. Amazing! [...]
Definite brand and customer loyalty at its best! It also speaks to the frequent joy of dealing with companies that have been around for decades; they seem, at least to me, on average, more inclined to display customer appreciation and loyalty than those companies that are newer.
Andy – oh yeah you got that right. I would ‘bulletproof’ my web projects for a couple of my most-favorite clients (cross platform, browsers, screen resolution checks).
No i don’t go to that extreme for all of my clients.
It’s amazing how much productivity and love a happy employee can offer at times.
That’s really impressive. Thanks for sharing Molly.
Am I the only one who’s touched or what?
I’m absolutely impressed with such customer service, as opposed to the usual templated replies some organisations always give.
Thanks for sharing and letting me know that great customer service still exists, Molly.
A reminder of when “things” mattered, were “invested” in and “expected” to “last”. Your brother is a modern day troubadour for an abandoned value system. I wonder just exactly when we decided that cheap was better.
“While ostensibly identical to your old one it unfortunately lacked its’ proprietary power plug set.”
And this is why you want standards!!
Amazing story, Molly. It is so nice to see some companies still value their customers.
… I am impressed. Molly, some time ago you were writing about the Utopia, so this is my utopia without any doubt. I dont see any company around trying to do a good job, only the companies making (or trying) “good” money. Thanks for the story, it made me remember some good things. =O)
That is so wonderfully amazing. Knowing how much you blog, Molly, if you’re ever my customer, I will make sure to send you a wonderful customer service letter, too. (And so would any other smart businessperson.)
As my brother likes to restore old things, too, I will pass this along.
My gosh!
… a pass it forward, albeit not the usual sort, if ever there were one …
That’s a brilliant story. It’s such a shame that service like this has almost become a thing of the past.
if i had a “larger sized power orifice”, heck…i wouldn’t switch to a safer one…
“Rest assured that our every intention to recreate the delightful privilege of perfect personal percolation via the modern convenience of electrical power in your kitchen remains undiminished.”
Whoever wrote this was having WAY too much fun!
I’ll bet this person writes for Woot! also! =^D
C.L. Everett – when did we settle for cheap? WE didn’t. The clue is right there in the letter:
“This legendary product longevity of over half a century makes us proud, and may also help you, the consumer to comprehend why we went bankrupt.”
That aside this is so amazing that (and yes I know it’s real) I did wonder about it’s legitimacy. Far too good to be true surely. I think I’ll copy this and send it to every customer service department I’ve ever had the displeasure of contacting!
My favorite part:
So…..they really don’t make ‘em like they used to!
Ok, I feel strangely compelled to point out that they wrote “warrantee” instead of “warranty.” Does that make me a jerk?
Oh, wow! I am so moved and impressed! Your brother sounds fascinating, and the Corning Corporation has raised itself to a new level of respect and client care!! I am someone who always feels it is as important to praise a job well done as it is to spread the word of bad service/treatment. I will be sharing this story of the Corning Corp with my friends and family.
Thanks for sharing this with us!
P.S. Tony – that doesn’t make you a jerk, it just shows that you pay attention to details. By the way, “warrantee” would be the British way of spelling the word.
Warrantee is a word in British English, but it would not be used in this context. A warrantee is someone who has the benefit of a warranty.
Great letter. I can attest to the quality of the Corningware coffeepots. I have an old Corningware coffee pot I got from my grandma when I got married. It was old then. I’ve been married 20 years. It looks like it might be from the 60s. It still works!
[...] molly.com » Now This is Customer Service Corningware goes beyond the call of duty to keep customers happy. (tags: cluetrain business branding user-experience management public-relations) [...]
Amazing. Though I still winced at every apostrophic abuse.
We had the same last name
[...] Hot on the heels of the instance of fine customer serive provided to Molly’s brother, my friend received this message from CD Baby after her online purchase. Marg – [...]
With all of the interest now in retro items I wish that Corning would again
produce their coffee pot. I still have one that I use and love. It makes the
best coffee.
Check Ebay for coffe pot parts under Corning Ware
They will not struggle much in the future with customer service like that!
We have loved our corning ware electric coffee pot, stove top perculator, and I have a teapot that has a silix like top that was an anniversary gift about 40 years ago. Also a smaller teapot. Then I started “collecting” coffee pots, gave some to family members and still must have a dozen on the shelf in storage. Yesterday our daughter E-mailed, “Mom, I’ve got a friend searching for a cornflower coffeepot, do you have one?” So looks like another pot will hit the road, headed for a new home. Then let’s take pie plates. I did have 3, loved them as they can go from freezer to oven. Dropped one, broke it. Then an old chum from Seattle went searching for more, and got me 5! Love my corningware!!
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml79/79046.html
I guess customer service forgot to tell you about that…. Serious danger of burn from separation of the parts when overheated.
Just thought you would want to read the official US Consumer Protection website entry.
Best wishes….
do you have any corning electric cords ???
I have a CORNINGWARE 10 CUP ELETRIC COFFEE MAKER FROM 1969. IT WORKS PERFECTLY.I GOT IT AT A FLEA MARKET IN ROGERS,OHIO FOR $10.0O. IT REPLACED A 1998 KRUPPS DRIP MAKER THAT NEVER REALLY MADE A DECENT TASTING CUP OF COFFEE. THIS 37 YEAR OLD COFFEE POT MAKES A PERFECT CUP EVERY TIME. AS FOR THE US COMSUMER PRODUCT WARNING. I FEEL THAT AT THIS POINT,I DO NOT HAVE THE ONES WITH THE DEFECTIVE EPOXY THAT MAKES THE HANDLES FALL OFF.BESIDES I BALANCE ONE CORNER ON THE COUNTER SO,IF THE HAND DOES FAIL IT WILL NOT CAUSE TO MUCH DAMAGE.
ERIC BONK
CANTON,OHIO
I have a set of Corning counter savers but haven’t use them for over 10 years bec. most of the feet are gone, and were instructed not to use them if the feet are missing. I really loved them and didn’t have the heart to get rid of them. I was cleaning the cabinet where they were stored and thought to browse the web how am I able to find the feet. Can you help? I live in Hawaii on Kauai and have searched every hardware store here for feet comparable to what it has and no luck. Any suggestions???
Molly – Thanks for the great story. I got to your site because I searched for “Corningware Electric Coffee Pots”. The reason – I’m searching for one myself, to supplement the one I already have.
My wife Karen and I just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. A favorite wedding gift we got was a 6-cup Corningware pot, just like the one described in your letter. It has made hundreds of gallons of coffee for me as I went through college, used it daily to now, and still today makes one pot a day faithfully. It has the ‘large power plug’ referenced, and still works as reliably as it did when it brewed the first pot. At age 66, I still drink lots of coffee, but my favorite comes from the lil Corningware pot.
My deceased father in law worked for Corning in Charleroi, Pa., and it was through him that we got the pot way back when.
Thanks again for sharing. Rabon Johnson
I am having a tough time finding a toll-free phone# for Corning to replace my cracked visionware pot (happened yesterday). I have had it since the 70’s and still use a lot. I still have to whole set (yes, I also have updated pots and pans as well) and I still like them for certain things. Corning replaced another pot a few years ago after sending a photo in of the cracked one. I’m sure they would still show the good faith. Thanks for yr help.
i want to know now who sent me a bad e’mail?
[...] Now This is Customer Service. Would that other companys had half the customer-focus as Corningware. [...]
i am looking for the corning ware white and whith blue electric coffee pot ….my sister n law lost hers during the huricane in ms and new orleans….she used it every day and im trying to find her another one for christmas. can you help me find a new/old one to buy for her for a surprise. she swears no other coffee pot makes a cup of coffee like that one did. thank you…nancykaye brown
I have a Corningware Slow Cooker model SC5044. I need the plastic knob for
the power and heat control. None of the store in the area carry such and item.
I will be glad to pay for such a knob.
Michio Miyamoto
orning
I have six corning coffee pots and unfortunately only one cord–anyone that wants to sell cord, please let me know. You will never find a better coffee pot!
Thanks
[...] Now This is Customer Service. Would that other companys had half the customer-focus as Corningware. posted by John at 11:21 am [...]
I have a Corningware Slow Cooker Model SCO-150. I am looking for a control knob.
Thanks
Herb
[...] Continue reading… [...]
I’m looking for an extension cord and plug for my 10 cup coffee pot No. E1210-8. The ones I find in the hardware store are either too big or too small. Also I am looking for an insert for the lid for my 6 cup stove top percolator No. P-146. I can’t find a glass insert or even a whole lid would be good. I have the two pots but unfortunately can’t use either one. Does Corning have old lids? Any one out there know where I could find one. We have an old fashioned hardware/post office/clothing – actually good old fashioned general store but no luck there either. Thanks.
I AM LOOKING FOR A SIX QUART CORNINGWARE BAKING OR COOKING PAN OR POT. I KNOW THEY USED TO MAKE THEM BUT I CAN’T FIND THEM ANYWHERE. THIS IS IMPORTANT AS IT IS NEEDED IN A R&D LABRATORY WORKING ON LEAD FREE METTLES FOR ELETRONICS. WE NEED A CORNING WARE POT THAT WILL HOLD AT LEAST SIX QUARTS.
THANKS. RICK