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How a company can win customers.

deadnbrkn84

Gunny Sergeant
Minuteman
Jan 16, 2011
1,246
81
40
Portland, OR
So often do we get on this site and bitch when something is wrong. "My scope broke, my new lot of bullets is 10 thou shorter then the last, they said they'd shipped it when they hadn't, UPS sucks...." If you've been on this site more then a day you've heard all of these and more. How often do we get on here and let the world know when someone has bent over backwards for us?

I would like to share a short story about how a certain company handled something and how they won a loyal customer. I was in northern California this weekend attending the NorCal TBRC. I was down with a few guys I knew from up in WA. They had both recently switched over to Kahles 624i's and getting there a day early I was messing around with theirs and was very impressed both in the hotel room and at the range on friday.

Fast forward two days. The match went pretty well for me and when I got to go up to the prize table Kahles was nice enough to put one of these up and so I snagged it. I'm not about grabbing the most expensive thing on the table just to sell it. If there's something I genuinely need (or want) that's usually what I'll go for. So there it was, the scope I was wanting. Only problem is that it didn't have the reticle in it that I was hoping for. Ken Pratt (the US Kahles rep) was there and I asked him about switching it out. He said he'd talk to the people he works with and let me know this week if he could do it or not.

After sitting back down, Mike Cecil of CS Tactical struck up a conversation with me (I'd never met him before) about the match and the scope I grabbed commenting how nice they are. I told him yeah I was looking forward to trying it but it had the wrong reticle. He says no problem he will personally switch it out for me if Kahles couldn't or wouldn't. Now he DIDN'T donate this scope to the prize table (he donated other things) and he was PERSONALLY willing to take one out of his inventory and swap them for me. This guy had never met me, doesn't know me, nothing. I told him hopefully it wouldn't come to that but I really appreciated the offer.

Fast forward until today. I exchanged a few e-mails with Ken and unfortunately they have no 624i's in the US with the reticle I want. I figured I'd give Mike a ring and see if he could do it without an inconvenience to him or his business. He said he had pretty much sold through all the ones he had but he thought he had one left and would check and call me back. Sure enough he calls me back in about 20 minutes and said he'd do it for me. I was shocked that this guy was tilling to take his last one out of inventory and swap it out for me. We got the details worked out today and my new scope is already on its way to me. Shipped it the same day. He doesn't even have my scope yet.

Mike has earned a loyal customer now. I spend more then I care to admit on this sport every year and if he sells it, that's where it's coming from. There are lots of websites that sell a lot of the same product in this competitive market. This is how you set yourself apart. I don't know what the CS stands for but it sure as hell should be Customer Service. Mike is a top notch guy and I hope some people read this and give the guy the business who deserves it because he will go the extra mile for his customers.

- Jeremy Bentham
 
I had a similar run in with Mike a few years ago when I was working a job near his location. Called him on like a Sat. or Sun., didn't think I was gonna get him but gave it a shot. He called back within minutes, I explained how I'm new to the precision world and wanted to get my hands on some nice glass as I'm usually never near a dealer who has anything but Leupold's....he said we're not usually open today but I could come on down and he'd open up for me. He spent atleast a couple hours letting me fondle his collection, on his dayoff, for a guy he never met.

Great dude
 
There have been a few instances like that for me. Back several years ago Premier was selling off their S&B inventory. They had a short dot listed in a gun forum ad. They actually had a dozen or so, price was around $1600/1700 or so. I called on a friday and ordered one. I noticed by Tuesday that my card hadn't been charged and I had not received any shipping info so I called. Turns out there were 2 guys taking orders at the same time. The other guy had taken a govt order for all the Short Dots left, but my guy noticed after the call his stock was gone. He didn't call me to inform me of the situation. When I called to check on the order I got someone different and he noticed what happened and said he would make this right regardless as he didn't believe in treating customers that way. He told me he'd call me right back. 15 mins later he calls and said he had a no box demo he'd sell to me for under $1000. I was floored. When I got it in, it was prestine. Absolutely perfect. I know some folks had trouble with said company, but that day they did me right.

Others who have gone above and beyond are DennisinVa. I needed an action wrench for my AI in a pinch and he came through above and beyond when from his position, he was taking a risk on losing the cost of the wrench if I didn't send payment. He mailed the wrench next day before my payment ever made it to him. He's about as good as they come.

All the guys at Accurate Ordnance are top notch.

Tooley is top notch.

Jerry Richter at S&B is another one who'll go out of his way for you. Hell he was on the phone with me for 30 mins or more on a Friday evening trying to talk me through fixing an issue with my S&B prior to a match the next day. That was his own off time on the weekend, on his cell phone.

If the world were full of folks like those mentioned in this thread it would be such a more pleasant place to live no doubt.
 
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I dropped in to Mikes shop unannounced looking to peek through some scopes to help me decide. Without hesitation Mike sent me out the door with the Kahles 624i, a S&B 5x25 and the BEAST. Thats a guy that will go the extra mile.

After looking through them he spoke about each one, his honest opinion about the great/not great things about them, what my real needs are and the best fit for me. Great customer service and a shooter on top of that. Highly recommend Mike.