The Aloha Experience
Back in 2003 I was in Hawaii with my wife. We ended up at a fairly high end surfing shop (in Maui) with some friends who knew the owner very well. My wife was in the market for a new pair of sunglasses and this store had an incredible selection. The owner advised us there is only one brand he recommends these days (and showed us the ones he owns). The brand was a Hawaiin company called Maui Jim, a company we had never heard of.
My wife tried on the sunglasses and instantly loved them. Over the next few months she is raving to all her friends about her new purchase.
Several months later I'm driving her car and realize I don't have my sunglasses (I've always owned another brand (let's call it "Brand A"). I try out the Maui Jims and for the next hour I realize how bad (old, heavy, uncomfortable, foggy) my "Brand A" sunglasses are.
At some point my "Brand A" lenses get scratched and also fall out and we send them in for repair. I was more than willing to pay to have them fixed properly. I receive them back and they are "fixed" with the old scratched lenses (no offer to have me pay for new lenses). They really are impossible to see through and therefore useless. I venture off to the Sunglass Hut to see about a new pair.
The lady at the Sunglass Hut asks what brand I'm interested in. I let her know I've always had "Brand A" sunglasses but I'm interested in something else. She looks at me funny, agrees and tells me they're not as good as they used to be (Bausch & Laumb sold the company in 1999) and suggests I try on a new brand that I may not have heard of. She hands me a pair of Maui Jims and tells me that these are the best sunglasses in her opinion. I buy them without question.
Fast forward 18 months later and I am adjusting my Maui Jims. They snap in the middle (this shouldn't happen since they're made of titanium). I check out their website to see about getting them repaired. We send them in without the invoice and include an explanation about how they broke (and how old they are). In 5 days, I open up a package and find a brand new pair of Maui Jims, and a new case to keep them in. I'm clearly floored by the experience.
I send them an e-mail thanking them for their great Customer Service. They send me an e-mail back starting with "Aloha Graham", thanking me for sending them the message, and finishing it off with Mahalo ("Thanks" or "gratitude" in Hawaiian).
They nailed the Customer Experience. Great products backed by Customer focused rules and great people to deliver the Experience. Needless to say I have told everyone about their sunglasses and the commitment they have to their Customers.
Their website is quite good. My favorite part of their website? The FAQ's section about repairs:
Question: Are my broken sunglasses covered by the warranty?
Answer: That depends. If you were hit by a sea turtle while driving Alligator Alley, probably not (good try though). Our warranty simply covers defects in materials and workmanship for up to two years.
It's clear that this company called Maui Jim has Customer Experience in their DNA.
