About a month ago I reserved a condo in New York for a business trip I have coming up at the end of May. I run the Princeton Entrepreneurs’ Network and we run an annual conference every year in late May, and this year I am the one in charge, so I have to be there for 3 days. I have taken to renting short-term vacation rentals when I travel, rather than hotels, as usually they are nicer and cheaper. Often I travel with my kids (yes, even on business trips) and renting an apartment or condo gives us more room and more flexibility with the kids. So I did my research (I like using VRBO) and found a great place in Battery Park City in Manhattan, which for three nights all totaled was $640. Now some of you may gasp, but those of you who have been to New York know that’s a GREAT deal. Especially if you look at the pictures of this really cute place.
So here is where it gets interesting. Last week I got an email from John, apologizing, but letting me know he made a mistake and double booked the place. My heart sank. He then, though offered, to do 1 of 2 things:
- Return all my money immediately
- Book me in the Embassy Suites in Battery Park city, in a King Suite, for almost $900.00 for the three nights. He would pay the difference so that I would not have to pay one more penny.
I took him up on his offer to book me in Embassy Suites. Within 15 minutes I had my confirmation from Embassy Suites, which I double checked just in case, and verified that John had indeed booked me, and fully paid the reservation. WOW. I will stay in his place next time I go, and for anyone traveling to New York City, check it out and think about booking his place. This is what customer service is all about! Take responsibility, fix the problem and leave the customer better off.
-Sabrina Parsons, aka MommyCEO
Sabrina has served as CEO of Palo Alto Software since 2007.
