Customer retention 101

I've never written a blog post extolling a service provider. So far. Today that changes, and with good reason.

I've always been a big fan of Starwood. They maintain great properties, have a fantastic loyalty program and I've always had a great experience with their staff. So I was surprised recently when a charge showed up on my credit card for a stay I had cancelled. I called them. They have real people picking up the phone when you call. No waiting, no clicking through annoying menus, or sitting at my desk going "agent, agent, agent" until the voice recognition software finally cuts through my accent to figure out what I'm saying.

The person on the phone was polite, and promised to contact the property right away. Sure enough, late the same night (11.30PM or so), I received an email from the property giving me details on why I was charged. It appears they never received notice of my online cancellation. I wrote a return email saying that yes, I had made the reservation and cancelled it online and no, I didn't have a confirmation number to share with him. A reply quickly came back that said "You don't need to give us any more information. We'll reverse the charge, and credit your card immediately." Two days later, the refund showed up on my card. That was it.

Two emails, no need for "supporting evidence" to back up my claim, no fuss, and a refund that showed up promptly. Is anyone surprised that I'm more loyal to Starwood than ever?