[spiredigital]

You're exactly right - outstanding service is a GREAT way to differentiate yourself. And it's often some of the best marketing you can do, too.

I'm constantly amazed at how many companies will make you send something back to get a refund / replacement, even if it only costs a few bucks.

If our customers receive a defective item that costs less than $20, we simply ship them a new item immediately, without asking them to return the old one. It only costs us a few bucks, saves the customer up to 2 weeks of wait time, save us having to process the return and usually earns us a life-long customer and vocal advocate. It's a no-brainer, and I don't understand why more companies don't do it.

[shimon_e]

Does no one send faulty item back to the manufacturer so they can prevent the same fault from happening again?

[spiredigital]

If the defect is recurring, or on a really expensive item - yes. It will go back to the manufacturer. But many defective items aren't indicative of a mass problem, but rather a one-off slip up.

If it costs $10 to ship a product from the customer to the wholesale, and then another $10 so ship it back to the manufacturer for a refund, it just doesn't make sense to do for inexpensive items each time a defective one is discovered.

[damian2000]

Very true - and it becomes a self-fulfulling mission to maintain that high level of service. Its hugely rewarding to get positive emails and testimonials from customers every day.