I had an interesting customer service exchange last week, which made me reflect. I ordered tires from a bulk warehouse. Once delivered, I made an appointment and drove up for installation. When I arrived, one of the tires was missing, and they told me I had to wait until a new tire was delivered then drive the 40 minutes up there again.

I was angry, angry about the wasted time, gas money, etc. I considered canceling my order and purchasing tires elsewhere. After a bit of venting, I decided to give them another chance. I’m glad I did. Not only did they provide a small gift card to compensate for my time, the manager also spoke to me when my car was ready. He looked me in the eye, apologized, and admitted the fault was his. He discovered that someone in his department had replaced a single tire for another customer.

What made a difference to me was the honesty. I understand that mistakes happen. His willingness to take credit for the mistake made me want to continue business with this company. Would you have given them another chance? What, to you, defines quality customer service?