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| - As a business, if you want to attract me as a repeat customer, you need to do two things, and do them well: (1) Provide a high-quality product; (2) Provide outstanding customer service. Many businesses provide a quality product, but relatively few businesses provide excellent customer service, so customer service in large part drives my repeat purchasing decisions. R Wine Cellar provided me with sterling customer service in a way that few other places have--or would. Read on for details.
Having visited the other winery in the Strip District earlier this week, I decided to stop by yesterday to sample R's wines, since they had more of a variety and are more reasonably priced. I was particularly interested in the Gluhweins, since this is a very unique wine that few other wineries in the area produce, and appeals to my palate, esp. at this time of year. The folks at R provided me with samples of several other of their wines, including the Lake Erie red and white, and the unoaked chardonnay, in addition to the gluhweins. While I enjoyed the other wines, I was immediately drawn to the two varieties of gluhwein: the white (Mosel-style, Margaret), and the red. I very much enjoyed them both, but decided on a bottle of the Margaret white, since I was looking for a wine to bring home for my family to enjoy at Thanksgiving, and I thought its more subtle flavor would make for a good after-dinner drink. The owner was very friendly and explained the origin of the grapes, and the other woman working there also seemed quite knowledgeable about the wines, as well. I walked out the door satisfied with my purchase and looking forward to consuming the wine.
Now, here's where the stellar customer service really comes into play. After partaking of some tacos and hot chocolate next door, I got on my bike to peddle home to Oakland, as I've done pretty much every time I've visited the Strip. After having cycled less than 5 blocks, tragedy struck: the wine bottle slipped through the bottom of the seemingly sturdy paper bag provided and shattered into a million pieces, spilling its contents all over the sidewalk of Liberty Ave.! Although I've often feared this happening, since I've cycled home with fragile items before, this is the first time that it's ever happened--and it didn't even happen when I went over a particularly rough section--just the middle of the sidewalk! After stopping, dazed and confused for a moment, I picked up the top of the bottle--the only part mostly intact--and decided to revisit the winery, to show the owner what had happened. When I showed it to him and told him what had happened, he provided me with another full bottle, free of charge! I would have paid for another one, but his generosity turned my upset into elation. After securing a plastic bag to cover the paper one and debating whether to wait up to an hour to catch the elusive 54C, after testing the integrity of the plastic bag, I mounted my bike again and cycled home to Oakland, this time with wine bottle intact.
The owner's kindness in replacing my broken bottle of wine was an example of customer service that went above and beyond the call of duty. To pay it forward, I brought the wine to a gathering that I attended last night to share with some friends, and told them its story. They were all impressed, both by the quality of the wine and by the owner's generosity. I will return next weekend to pick up another bottle to bring home to share with my family, as originally intended, and I will no doubt be back before Christmas to get some of the red gluhwein, as well. Thank you, R Wine Cellar, for providing me with truly outstanding customer service, as well as a great and unique product--you have earned my highest regard and my repeat business!
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