three cheers for Tiger Direct!

"You need to get an external hard drive, with one-button back-up, at least 250 gigs."



This is what I was told a few days ago, very nicely, but also firmly, by a friend. It may have been because, once again, I lost stuff I really, really need. You can read about the first time this happened, here. The most recent event is chronicled here.



I memorized the language of what I needed. I anticipated the questions they would ask. I found out what the approximate price should be. I finally realized that my friend was saying, "Maxtor" not "Mac Store". Which was a helpful realization.



And yesterday morning I ventured into Tiger Direct. I was the first customer there, waiting for the doors to be unlocked. "Good morning!" said the smiling door-opener. I walked into the store, and stood, looking around for a sign of any kind.



Within seconds, a woman came over, smiling - "Do you need some help? Let me get someone for you."



Note: Apparently helping customers is not her job, but she went and got someone whose job it is! *gasp*



A few seconds later, a salesman approaches me, smiling, hand extended to shake mine - "Hi, I'm Len. How can I help you?"



I recited my memorized speech, and even managed to ask if differences between Vista and XP would cause any issues in my church presentation software one-button back-up external hard drive thingy.



Don't get me started on Vista. Just don't. Trust me.



He listened to all that I told him, asked me where my church was, asked a technician about the Vista / XP question, and handed me what I wanted. Assured me that if there were any problems at all - "but there won't be" - just call, the technicians are always there. Walked me to the smiling cashier, who was equally friendly, and out I walked, wondering if a little piece of heaven existed in that store.



Drove back to the office. Opened the package. I bought the wrong product. In the midst of the pleasantries, apparently we missed the "external" part of my memorized statement.



So I went back, knowing - I opened the package. It's $100. They're not going to take it back. They're going to tell me that I didn't say "external" and I'm pretty sure I did. This is not going to go well.



I walked into the store, and AGAIN, within SECONDS - Len has seen me, and is coming straight over - "What happened? It didn't work? How can I help?"



I held up my opened package. "I need external," I said.



"Oh no," he said. "I'm so sorry. Well, you just return it right here ... and I will go and get you what you need."



By the time my return was processed, I turned around and there was smiling Len, with a smiling technician, holding a shiny new box, and assuring me that certainly THIS time, this was what I wanted. I asked the XP / Vista question again, and they had already considered it. Again, Len walked me to the cashier, apologizing for sending me out the first time with the wrong product, waited to ensure all went smoothly, and then patted me on the back and said, "Now you have a nice day."



The door-opener as I left was the cashier from the first time - "Nice to see you again," he said politely. For a moment, I wondered if someone was going to give me a hug and a cookie.



So I'm come home briefly to pick up a change of clothes and a pillow, because I'm pretty sure I'm moving into that place. Customer service like that is a rare and beautiful thing, and I don't want to miss one moment of it!

Three cheers for Tiger Direct!