Ah, nothing beats summertime in the Pacific Northwest: sunny skies, warm weather, and delicious fresh berries. My wife decided to send her mother a birthday gift that would give her a taste of our summer. After visiting the mouth-watering Harry & David website, Oregon's largest purveyor of fruit and gourmet gifts, my wife ordered a two-pound cheesecake topped with blackberries.
My wife was chagrined when she learned that her mother's cheesecake arrived in a flimsy crushed box that looked like a black bear had sat on it. Immediately, she called customer service to complain, and they insisted on sending out a replacement at no charge. Unfortunately, the second time wasn't a charm, and the box arrived in an equally tattered state with a crushed cheesecake inside. When my wife called Harry & David to complain, a very polite customer customer service representative offered to send a third shipment or provide a refund. Frustrated, my wife opted for the refund.
The experience wasn't a total disaster. My in-laws got to experience two complimentary crushed blackberry upside-down cheesecakes which they said were absolutely delicious. And, we learned that Harry & David stands by their products even thought they are apparently not investing enough in protective packaging.
Would we order for Harry & David again? We probably wouldn't risk getting any item that is fragile which accounts for a big portion of the inventory. However, we would certainly consider ordering more durable goods that could withstand rough handling even with poor packaging. More importantly for Harry & David, their willingness to make us happy even though they lost money on our order proves that theirs is a business which is looking to build long-term customer goodwill over short-term profits. This is as good a recipe for business success as their delicious blackberry upside-down cheesecake.
