Japanese Service, Example #18475
Everyone who has spend more than a few days in Japan can usually recite a tale of wonderful customer service they received here, from the chorus of "Irrashimase!!!" (or Welcome!) that you hear upon entering a Japanese store, or the extraordinary number of bows and "Arigatou gozaimasu" you receive at the end of your visit, regardless of whether or not you even purchased anything.
Last night, I was reminded again that the Customer is King. On Friday (2 days ago), I ordered a concert ticket online with the help of a kind Japanese coworker, Miyako-san. The website was completely in Japanese and I couldn't have navigated it without her help. At the end of the process, she told me that the ticket would be delivered to my house and that the delivery charge was 499 Yen (about $4.50). Not too bad, I though, especially for home delivery service. Concerts in Japan are notoriously more expensive than those in the US, so I was already paying about twice what I would have paid to see the show back home. But the band is Strike Anywhere from Richmond, VA, my hometown. In fact, the lead singer was in a previous band, Inquisition, that my high school garage band opened for about 13 years ago at a free show at VCU.
Anyway, back to the story. As I mentioned, I ordered the ticket on Friday. On Saturday, Nicki, Josh and I went to Enoshima Aquarium for a visit. When we returned home later that evening, I noticed a "we missed you" note from a local delivery company in our mailbox. Then, as we were putting Josh down for bed around 8:00pm, our doorbell rang. Sure enough, it was the same delivery company, delivering my ticket the day after I ordered it online. In the States, it probably would have taken at least 3-4 days to get to me, without a doubt. Also, do you think FedEx or UPS would try twice in the same day to deliver a package if the customer wasn't home the first time? No way.
The amusing thing is that when I opened the package, I found that there was bubble wrap surrounding my ticket. Why on earth does a concert ticket need to be bubble wrapped?
Last night, I was reminded again that the Customer is King. On Friday (2 days ago), I ordered a concert ticket online with the help of a kind Japanese coworker, Miyako-san. The website was completely in Japanese and I couldn't have navigated it without her help. At the end of the process, she told me that the ticket would be delivered to my house and that the delivery charge was 499 Yen (about $4.50). Not too bad, I though, especially for home delivery service. Concerts in Japan are notoriously more expensive than those in the US, so I was already paying about twice what I would have paid to see the show back home. But the band is Strike Anywhere from Richmond, VA, my hometown. In fact, the lead singer was in a previous band, Inquisition, that my high school garage band opened for about 13 years ago at a free show at VCU.
Anyway, back to the story. As I mentioned, I ordered the ticket on Friday. On Saturday, Nicki, Josh and I went to Enoshima Aquarium for a visit. When we returned home later that evening, I noticed a "we missed you" note from a local delivery company in our mailbox. Then, as we were putting Josh down for bed around 8:00pm, our doorbell rang. Sure enough, it was the same delivery company, delivering my ticket the day after I ordered it online. In the States, it probably would have taken at least 3-4 days to get to me, without a doubt. Also, do you think FedEx or UPS would try twice in the same day to deliver a package if the customer wasn't home the first time? No way.
The amusing thing is that when I opened the package, I found that there was bubble wrap surrounding my ticket. Why on earth does a concert ticket need to be bubble wrapped?
posted by Unknown | 8:57 AM
6 Comments:
DAMN that's one dangerous concert ticket! Maybe it'll be an "explosive" concert and the bubblewrap just softens the blow a little.......
I must say I agree and am highly impressed by Japanese customer service.
I just ordered a gift from a family tea-farm called Hibiki-an in Kyoto. (Shhh. Don't tell Lavie! It's a surprise!)
I took a chance ordering it as a Christmas present, overseas...with just a few weeks to go before Christmas. It was my first "overseas" order and I had a fair bit of trepidation.
Imagine my surprise when it arrived here in Texas about seven-days after I ordered it! It was wonderfully ship-wrapped, I got a number of emails from the site during the entire process, and I didn't pay any "extra" shipping costs with my order.
Wow!
I am impressed, indeed, as well.
My company first asked me to Japan for 1 month. After 2 weeks they asked me to stay the year and I told them No - I had 3 cats back home being cared for by a friend. They told me they would pay all expenses (shots, exams, quarantines, flights, etc) to bring them to be with me in Japan. It was a great year that we all had together. When we finally returned to the US I wheeled them into Narita airport in their hard case carriers and watched in giggles as all three carriers were wrapped in bubble wrap! In the year since I got back I have used only one to transpost them to their various vet visits, leaving the two others still wrapped in bubble wrap in the attic so I can prove to people that Japan is obsessed with wrapping! I swear I once bought a dusty old extension cord at a street stall and they wrapped it for about 10 minutes. In pretty paper no less. I hated to unwrap and use the darned thing.
Thanks Claus for this great site!
Great story! I've had one of their songs on the PC for years, "Strike Anywhere - Sunset on 32nd". Good stuff! Enjoy the show!
Have a great time at the concert! What a wonderful bubble wrap story!
I am always amazed at the care and attention given to customers at Japanese stores. It is the best, and I'll miss it so much when we return to the US.
I've been doing so much Christmas shopping and have loved watching everything be wrapped, fluffed, and delicately packaged. Everything from a single square of Godiva cholocate- sitting in a nice little artificial nest of colored paper to ornate tea sets. Nothing is too small and insignificant for the Japanese royal treatment! I love it! It has saved me a lot of time doing my own Christmas wrapping!
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