My cousin, (by marriage) Matthew, died suddenly in the summer of 2018. He had just turned 49. My wife and I were on vacation at the shore when it happened. And the priorities changed from relax to rally.
During that vacation I had walked past a Sunglasses store every day, eyeing a pair of incredible Vuarnet sunglasses. My history with the brand goes back decades, but I’ve not splurged on a pair in years. The day my cousin died, I bought the only pair of Tortoise Black District 1622s with blue polarized lenses in the store.
Life had shown itself to be short. I called them “Matthew’s glasses.”
It’s been over a year now since that summer. I’ve worn Matthew’s glasses almost every day and recently noticed some wear and tear. So, I went on the Vuarnet website to explore repair options.
The process is pretty straight-forward. Fill out a form, take a couple of pictures of the glasses, email to the company and they will evaluate the cost of the repair.
When I sent the info, I never mentioned the backstory to the glasses, only that they meant a lot to me and I’d like to have them fixed. I also emphasized that I was not looking for “something for nothing” and was happy to pay whatever was necessary.
In two days, Thalia emailed me and asked that I send my glasses to her and she would replace them at no charge.
I sent back the glasses to Thalia, thanked her profusely and told her the story of Matthew’s glasses and why they were so important to me.
Not long after that, I received a condolence email from Vuarnet, and the package pictured here, complete with t-shirt, sticker, car magnets and of course, my Tortoise Black District 1622s with blue polarized lenses. But above and beyond all of that was a note signed by everyone in the Vaurnet office. Real signatures on a real card.
Some say that Customer Service is a dying art. Not at Vuarnet. In one simple interaction, each person in that company made me feel more than a valued customer. They put themselves in my shoes. They showed compassion, empathy and they were kind.
The next time I decide to buy, recommend or gift a pair of sunglasses, they will be Vuarnets.
When customer service evolves into kindness, you can be sure you will have a customer for life.
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