Feelin' the LUV

   Today was an inordinately good day. I mean, last night was awesome, going out for sushi with Joni again (second time in a week!) and discovering Sakura's Golden Eagle roll, which pretty much blew both our minds. (Soft shell crab, cream cheese, avocado, cucumber and fried banana... need I say more?) And today's lunch was great too... I met a new friend at Sushi House. Any weekend that starts with sushi—twice—can't be bad.

   And then I received my callback from Sam at Southwest Airlines' Customer Relations. I had emailed them after the holidays, to express my disappointment about their miscommunication that led to me being stuck in St. Louis for a night—AND losing out on over $500 in flight vouchers and reimbursements by getting on the plane in KC. I was prepared for a hassle... a painful conversation in which I would stress how they screwed up, and they would remind me how air travel is complex and unpredictable, and besides it was the holidays, and they have no proof that what I said was true, etc. etc.

   Well it turns out I was prepared for nothing. Sam couldn't have been nicer, apologized profusely, and with very little convincing from me, extended the voucher and reimbursement. She agreed that Southwest let me down and wanted to make it right. What?!

   So I did my part by contacting the airline after the call on Facebook and Twitter to rave about my experience, gave them Sam's name, and let all my friends know how pleased I was. I hope they get more business because of this. I am a huge fan for sure!

   Then I decided to press my luck and go to Best Buy tonight to exchange the hard drive I'd purchased a few weeks ago. It didn't work like it was supposed to. And I've been procrastinating about going to the store... I was anticipating a stern conversation about restocking fees, and about how I simply don't know how to use the device, and how I wouldn't be able to apply the Rewards dollars I had used on the original purchase towards the new device, etc. etc.

   I was shocked again! The guy barely batted an eye, and applied all the money including my credits towards the new drive. No fees, no questions, no hassles.

   What have I learned through all this? 1) Perhaps customer service has suddenly evolved for the better? It's sad, but I simply did not expect a good outcome of either of these instances. These companies actually care about their consumers! and 2) I had myself pretty worked up over what turned out to be nothing. I knew the facts, and I knew what I was asking for was reasonable and fair. I'm so glad I reached out to both of them.

   And now I'm going to go enjoy a glass of Prosecco while my files are backed up on my new drive. And dream about the trip I'll take with my voucher! Bravo and thank you sincerely, Southwest & Best Buy!