Service with a smile is usually a hallmark of traditional brick and mortar retailers, but more and more these days it's becoming a quality displayed by Internet stores as well. Case in point: Tony Grieco and his company Getboards.com. I recently ordered a sweatshirt from the company's website; the transaction was no different from countless other online shopping experiences I've had. It was only a day later (the company prides itself on shipping all in-stock items within 24 hours) that the warehouse realized they were out of the item I had ordered. And here's where the story turns into something worth blogging about.
I received an email from Tony himself, informing me that the item I had ordered was out of stock, but with a suggestion that I would enjoy a different but similar item. For my troubles, he offered to throw in a free t-shirt! Now I've been shopping online for years at this point, and sometimes stuff is out of stock or orders get screwed up. It happens. I never expect, and most online retailers don't offer something additional in return for the trouble. The cynic in me says Tony's move was nothing more than smart business, but the snowboarder in me knows the offer was made not to ensure the sale went through, but just to, in snowboard-speak, "be cool." In other words, Tony hooked it up.
I don't know if you're a believer in karma, Tony, but if you are - you've got a bunch of good vibes coming your way, my friend. In this day and age, it's too easy to treat customers like dollar signs, especially when dealing with a faceless, anonymous medium like the Internet. When the head honcho of a company takes the time to reach out and help resolve a problem, it restores my faith in not only my fellow man but especially my fellow riders. Once again, thanks, Tony. You and Getboards.com rock!
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