August 7, 2012

Here is a very nice letter from a satisfied customer.  It’s too long to add to one of our newsletters, so here it is, separately:

Dear Dennis and Jeanne,

     I am writing to you regarding the staff at your pool store.  Your organization is not just a store.  It is a place where you can go to receive excellent customer service from knowledgeable customer service representatives.  Every time I have gone to your store in the past 15 years each one of your employees has always been so very accommodating and I have never had a negative experience.

     This summer has been a difficult one for me with the maintenance of our pool.  After opening the pool, I encountered the problem of sand spitting into the pool and had to call a pool service to find out why this was occurring.  Unfortunately, the service I called sent out technicians who were not very knowledgeable and I absolutely did not get the service I felt I deserved with the $90.00 service call.

     However, when I went to your store your sales persons were all so very friendly, accommodating, knowledgeable and most of all helpfu.  When I walked into your store your staff had to deal with a woman who was experiencing an extremely stressfull Friday afternoon and embarrassingly I was in tears.  The pool service had emptied the sand from my filter and told me I needed new fingers for the sand pipe and perhaps a new sand pipe, and if I could not order these parts from Namco I could get a new tank.  They would  help me install a new tank if it tied into their afternoon schedule.  They then left my green poo. and unassembled filter to go to their next service call.  I would also like to add they never followed up with a phone call the next Monday (07/23) as they said they would.

     I can only imagine how uncomfortable it was for your staff to deal with a woman crying over a pool.  Your staff was sympathetic to my situation.  It is often hard for me not to cry when I am faced with some situations as I am widow with four children.  Two of my children are grown, but I still have the boys to raise.  My husband was an amazing man who took care of so many household issues, one being the pool.  I am still perfecting the art of not being overwhelmed.  So, when I go somewhere for help I am expecting to be educated about how to solve my problem whatever it may be and I expect a solution to my problem, expecially when I am paying for a service.  At your store I received excellent service from knowledgeable employees.  The fingers I needed were in stock and I was able to order extra ones to change out the old ones at the end of the season.

     I also had Patrick look over the sand pipe and I must also tell you that Patrick is a very valuable asset to your store.  When I showed Patrick the sand pipe and asked if I should order this part as well he looked the sand pipe over and saw it was not cracked and still in good condition.  However, after inspecting the pipe to make sure it was in good operating order he discovered there was a part missing from the bottom of the sand pipe.  It was a riser that enables the sand pipe to properly connect to the pipe at the bottom of the multiport valve.  He not only showed me how the sand pipe should look with all of its parts in a catalog he also attempted to glue a riser on the bottom  of the sand pipe as I did not know if we had the part still at home.

     For the rest of the night I called your store at least five more times with questions.  Patrick answered the phone politely and patiently answered each and every one of my questions.  I am sure by the end of the night he was tired of my calls and silly questions, and if he was I would have never known.

     Thank you to all of your staff for their excellent service and for making my life a bit easier.  I have been in the store several times since then and unless absolutely necessary will only go to your store from now on.  It is worth the drive to go to your store and worth the customer service I receive.

With Sincere Gratitude and Thanks,

S.M.D.  Nashua, NH