Yes, Virginia, There Is Such a Thing as Customer Service

In July I bought five new Bali bras. I ordered them via Amazon and they shipped from Macy's. The entire expenditure was $182.30. (I'd used this brand of underwire minimizer for several years and liked it; a well-fitted bra is worth a little extra money).

Within days of wearing one, the underwire poked through the cloth and into my flesh. Then another, and another did it. I was dismayed, to say the least. The last two remained intact, but I decided to stop wearing them. I laundered the three defective ones gently in a lingerie bag, and in the process the wires came out and tangled around other clothes. Wrecked completely.

I put off dealing with them until two weeks ago. Some research showed that Bali is owned by Hanes (which, in turn, is owned by Sara Lee, in case business trivia interests you). I found the Hanes customer service address and wrote the following letter:

To Whom It May Concern:

Enclosed please find several bras and copies of the invoices reflecting what I paid for them. I bought the Bali bras in July and within a couple of months the underwire poked through the fabric. The last time I laundered them, the wires came out completely. Since I do not trust the quality of the material, I have included the bras I purchased that have not yet torn open.

I am deeply dissatisfied with the quality of the product. I would like a refund to my credit card. I purchased them with my American Express card, account xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, exp xx.xx. I will also accept a refund by check. The total for the bras (including shipping and taxes) is $182.30.

Please contact me if you have questions. My address and email are above. Thank you for your prompt resolution to this unfortunate customer experience.

Then I packaged the bras, letter, and copy of the original order and mailed it off on November 29. Today, in the mail, I received a simple letter:

Dear Ms. Petro-Harper,

Thank you for returning your unsatisfactory merchandise. We are sorry you've been unhappy with your recent purchases.

Enclosed please find a check for $186.35 to reimburse you for the merchandise you returned, your tax, shipping, and postage cost.

Ms. Petro-Harper, if we can be of future assistance, you may reach us at 1-800-225-4872, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (EST), or on the Internet at www.balicompany.com.

Sincerely,
Judi Steelman
Consumer Care Specialist

Awesome! I'm very pleased. In an era when it's almost impossible to reach a human being at a company, I'm reassured that in some places, the concept of service still exists.