Today during my lunch, I went down to the Verizon Wireless store. I had been having issues with my Treo Centro, and was interested in getting my phone replaced as it is under warranty. Upon arrival, I was greeted warmly and was given information relevant to getting my phone replaced (phone number, driver information, advice on how to transfer contacts etc). Everything I would normally expect from this type of conversation, but still a step above the interactions I’ve previously had at cellphone and wireless provider stores.

What continued impressed me even more. I was told that due to my employment with Microsoft, I was entitled to a discount, plus there were some deals currently going on at the store. My initial thought was “oh great, now they’re going to rope me into getting a ‘discount’ that costs me $20 more a month for features and services I’ll never need.” No, instead, by keeping the exact same plan, the representative (John) saved me $40/month or over 30% off my current bill. He didn’t pitch me to buy something more either. All I did was speak with him for five minutes and I’d already saved $500 over the course of the next year. Now that’s service.

Let it be known that I was 90% certain that I was going to change providers at the end of the year (iPhone, Android, etc, I’d already been mentally salivating). I left the store feeling satisfied and certain that I will stay with Verizon. Now I just have to find a new phone that suits me better than my Treo Centro. Not only will I continue to be a Verizon customer (making them $1,000 a year), but I went and told a half dozen coworkers about it, who were all shocked and seemed very excited to make their way down to either a) look into their own plans or b) look into switching over to Verizon. This is an example of a great, genuine way to conduct customer service, and though I am already a brand ambassador of Verizon’s stellar coverage, they have made me an even happier and (more) loyal customer.