Wow, this is almost turning into a soap opera or series episode. Maybe I can sell the story to Steven Spielberg. :-p
Remember how I wrote that I bought a Hamilton-Beach Brew Station and LOVED it, only to have the tank leak all over my countertops three months later? Well, I want to humbly and graciously thank the commenter hideawayhill for her suggestion to call Hamilton-Beach about the problem. I balked, because I have had some pretty bad experiences with companies, who don’t give a rat’s rear end about me and my disgruntles. But….. I called the company….
Holy cow, I am buying Hamilton-Beach for the rest of my life!!!!!!!! This was the conversation I had with one of the most AMAZING people in customer service, EVER.
Hamilton-Beach Customer Service Rep: Hello, my name is Karen, how can I help you?
Rebecca: [expecting to hear Pakistani or Chinese, and very startled at the sound of a sweet Southern drawl] Hi! Um… my name is Rebecca, and I bought the Brew Station at WalMart about three months ago. But my problem is that the tank leaks really bad.
Karen: Oh dear, we can fix that for you.
Rebecca: You… can? I lost the receipt because I’m renovating my house, and…
Karen: What’s the serial number and model number of your Brew Station?
Rebecca: 47665… [etc etc]
Karen: Your address? Phone number? We’ll have it shipped to you immediately, and you should have the new tank in about seven days. Anything else I can help you with?
Rebecca: [who has fainted and is now recovering]… uhh… Do I have to pay for this? Shipping?
Karen: Nothing. You’re all taken care of.
Rebecca: Oh my word. Are you serious?! I have had so many problems with other companies in the past… I’ve been scarred for life. You will replace the tank?! And for free?!
Karen: Hamilton-Beach wants to take care of their customers. We’re consumers, too, you know! We know how important it is to please our customers!
Rebecca: [stammering] But.. but… for free?! Oh my word! You know, I am your customer FOR LIFE!!
Karen: Why thank you! have a great day!
:awe: I think I love this company. People, if you have to choose a company to buy from, make it Hamilton-Beach! Oh my gosh, they are amazing!!!
Life is never dull, and exciting things just seem to always happen to me... why me... when I'm not running around the house fixing things, I'm a freelance writer for national media outlets like USAToday.com, Salon.com, and others. I've even been interviewed by TIME and The Wall Street Journal about blogging. Can you believe it?! Here is where I express my zany, creative, motherly side. 
May 6, 2010 at 6:08 pm
WOW! That is AWESOME! Esp the part about a call center with a native English speaker!!! :-P Glad you are getting your coffee pot fixed – for FREE! Exxxxxcellent!