Margie Dana

Not once, not twice, but three times in as many months I have been delighted by unexpected gestures of great service during purchasing transactions.

First, there was the “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” near-miss. My favorite computer games are the Harry Potter series. When I needed to replace this particular CD, I bought one on Amazon, used, from a private seller.

The CD arrived in great condition, but without the case…and no sign of the serial number. Talk about bummed out. I sent a short, polite email to the seller, and within no time she’d put her husband on the trail of getting me a serial number (evidently available online if you know where to look). She emailed it to me posthaste.

The kicker: she refused to take any money from me for the CD. Granted, it was a low-price item, yet she insisted that because I encountered a snafu, the game was on her. What a surprise! I was tickled pink.

Next, I read a piece in Real Simple magazine that described how to keep computers clean. They recommended Swabits – small, handy, foam-tipped little gizmos – to gently clean keyboards. Off I went to www.swabits.com to purchase some. When two weeks passed and they hadn’t arrived, I emailed the company (in Chicopee, MA). Right away I heard back: if I didn’t receive them by a certain date, let them know and they’d send a new shipment. Which is precisely what I did.

Within 3 days my purchase came – with two extra little goodie bags containing different styles of these super brushes. FYI, their other web site is www.superbrush.com, and their tagline is “A swab for every job.” Love it! Turns out they sell a lot of swabs to the printing industry.

Finally, I went online to buy Charlie a new bed at LL Bean. Supplies were short. It would take 2 – 3 weeks for delivery.

Not three days later, the little prince’s new bed arrived on my doorstep. He was nonplussed, but I’m not ashamed to say I squealed with glee.

Which brings me to your print providers. Do they ever surprise you with incidents of great service? Do some printers provide you with a product or a service that you didn’t know they offered – but that you always wanted? Do they handle problems with such extreme professionalism and fairness that you’re left speechless?

These kinds of surprises contribute to long-term relationships. Plus, you’re more likely to recommend them to others. (If Swabits had stiffed me on my order, do you think I would have written about them?) Going above and beyond what’s expected needn’t be a major deal. Small serendipities work just fine, in fact.

Have you been pleasantly surprised by your printers lately? What did they do, exactly? Conversely, if you made a list of things that would absolutely stun you with delight, what would be on it?