Once again I am amazed by how truly generous and sympathetic companies can be. And not just small mom and pop companies but huge conglomerates. Corporations that don’t need to prove anything still make single customers feel like they are their only customer.

A couple of days ago, after saying goodbye to my son and giving my wife a kiss, I went outside to find my truck had been broken into. The front passenger window smashed in. At first I just couldn’t believe what had happened. I’ve never had anyone break into a car before and all I could do was stare at the scene of tiny bits of emerald green glass littered on the driveway and everywhere inside the vehicle. It was very surreal.

At first I thought maybe the window failed. The inside seemed fine and I couldn’t find anything missing. It took a few minutes for me to figure out what had been taken… two brand new pairs of shoes. That’s what the thief took. That’s why the thief broke out the window of my car… for shoes. A $60 and $65 pair of skate shoes!

I was asked by numerous people how I felt and I don’t think anyone who knows me was surprised by my answer. I wasn’t really all that upset. This could have been so much worse. They could have broken into my home or caused much more damage to my car.

Lets back track a bit. A couple of weeks ago I decided to order some shoes for myself online from Zappos.com. I couldn’t decide which style to purchase so I purchased three different pairs (two of which were almost identical) and figured I would return at least one pair. You see Zappos offers a 365 day return policy, no sales tax and they pay all shipping costs. This was my first order from them even though I’ve frequented their site many times over the past few years to window shop. I received the shoes and decided to return two pairs. I put them in my truck to ship back Monday morning from work. When I left work that afternoon to go home I noticed that I had forgotten to return the shoes and I just told myself I would do it the following day…

Tuesday morning the Huntington Beach police came out and took a report of the theft. The officer suggested I contact the store I purchased the shoes from and inform them what happened and to be on the lookout for any possible returns. Maybe, just maybe, the thief would be foolish enough to contact Zappos. I did as the officer said and the reply I received from the Zappos Customer Loyalty Team was very unexpected. Not only did they offer their sympathy, they informed me that they would immediately replace those two pairs of shoes absolutely free!

This is why I become loyal to a specific vendor, this is why I buy Apple products, shop at Costco, order from Amazon, purchase vehicles from Sunrise Ford and use an American Express card. These companies have amazing customer service. This is why I will continue to be a Zappos customer. I think those two pairs of shoes that I originally was going to return are going to be my two favorite pairs! Thanks Zappos.com. I guess you really are powered by service!

I can only hope that my own company goes above and beyond anyone’s expectations. Such companies will be the ones that make it through these tough economic times while the rest fade way.

Merry Christmas to Us! Yesterday we leased a brand new Ford Flex from Sunrise Ford in North Hollywood. We originally tried to lease the car from Sunset Ford in Westminster but after a number of frustrating calls with them we decided to talk to a different dealer. The sad part about this is that there is no negotiating the price of the vehicle since Kathy’s dad is an ex-Ford Aerospace employee. This should have been a quick and easy sale. It just seems like the people at Sunset didn’t know what they were doing or just didn’t want to sell a car. We called Sunrise Ford because this was the dealer that actually had the car we wanted on the lot. Kathy spoke to Ron Spencer who gave us a lease and purchase quote over the phone within 10 minutes. In fact we were able to do the complete transaction via phone and fax which is in contrast to dealing with Sunset Ford which kept asking for us to come down and talk. We were all ready to drive up to Hollywood and pick up the car when Ron called back and asked if we would like him to deliver the car to our home. Keep in mind this was Christmas Eve! Sunset Ford needs to take lessons fron Sunrise Ford in customer service. It is issues like this that will keep certain dealers in business where others fail.

Geek me up: This vehicle has some really outstanding features like an onboard refrigerator and 4 moon roofs.  Our car seats 6 and comes with Ford Sync powered by Microsoft.  Ford Sync integrates seamlessly with my iPhone allowing me to listen to anything on my phone using simple voice commands.  Using the built-in SIRIUS Travel Link I can get GPS guided map navigation with access to real time traffic conditions, current weather, sports scores, gas station rates, close-by restaurants and even the ability to email me a vehicle heath report or send me an SMS if something needs immediate attention. It comes with a USB port, 110V power port, numerous car power ports and an aux audio in port.