Why how you put it right is important when something goes wrong!

With the best will in the world sometimes things go wrong.  It might be incompetence , or a breakdown in communication – or just plain bad luck.

So why this post today?

Well I placed an order online with UK department store Marks & Spencer at the beginning of last week for a couple of Christmas presents.  According to the website they had the items in stock and that was plenty of time for delivery ahead of Christmas. By 21st December I was concerned and realised that I could track my package with Royal Mail which I duly did and a garbled difficult to understand message seemed to indicate that it had been delivered on the 19th.

Maybe it has – but not to me. And usually if Royal Mail try to deliver to you but have to leave it with a neighbour or what they call a “safe place” ( which is the past has included my rubbish bin!!) they put a card through the letterbox to say that’s what they have done. But there was no such card.

The lady from M&S went off to see what she could do and called me back to tell me that Royal Mail say that it has been delivered.

So she said that she would send the items out again but – and here’s the crunch – there was no way of me getting them before Christmas!

You know I had kind of resigned myself that being the case and had a Plan B  – that I would have to take myself to the shops again today and find alternatives and I told her that. She was most apologetic and proceeded to cancel the order and make an immediate refund.

And here comes the good part..

I said that if the package did turn up I would just send it back – but she said that there was no need and that if that happens I should keep it with M&S’s compliments and make them an extra present for the people they were ordered for.

How do I feel about M&S? At this point I love them – and I am very impressed with the lovely lady I spoke to who took total responsibility for trying to find a solution for me whilst really listening to my concerns and sympathising with my plight. ( I feel a little less charitable about Royal Mail though..)

Mary Portas  writing in the Daily Telegraph about the Early Learning Centre  last Saturday made this comment

“…..my last review of 2009 ends on far too recurrent a theme: great brand, great business, but where the hell is the service? So, readers, when you’re finishing off your Christmas shopping, do me a favour: demand it!”

I will do this – and I will also give credit where due. So well done M&S.

Read the full article by Mary here – and actually she is worth reading regularly for her common sense advice on how to be a successful retailer!