Trexta: A Tale of Terrific Support

It isn’t every day that you come across a company that truly values their customers. Sure, most companies give lip service to “customer support,” but we’ve all had those nightmarish experiences while attempting to return a defective product or request a refund for a broken item. This is why my recent experience with the folks at Trexta came as a pleasant surprise.

I recently purchased a protective case for my iPhone. After weeks of online research, I had finally settled on the Racing Series iPhone case by Trexta. I instantly fell in love with the embroidered white racing stripes against the matte-black leather, so I ordered the case from a 3rd-party vendor on Amazon.com. It was a little more expensive than other cases I had found, but I have no problem paying a bit more for a well-designed product.

A few days later the case arrived, and I anxiously tore open the package. Imagine my disappointment when I realized that the case I was holding in my hand did not match the one depicted in the photos online. Instead of matte-black leather, the case was a high-gloss, almost patent-leather, and the white stripes were equally glossy.

I might have gotten past the glossy appearance, were it not for the other—more obvious—difference. The leather was adhered to a white plastic shell, and it stops about an eighth-inch shy of the outer edges of the case, creating a white border all the way around.

Many folks may like this look, and perhaps find it consistent with the white stripes of the case. But I felt that it gave the case a very “cheap” look that was not consistent with the trim and polish of the iPhone itself.

Because I had ordered the case from a 3rd-party vendor, and the original packaging had been completely destroyed during opening, I had little hope of securing a refund from the seller. Further, I wasn’t completely sure that this wasn’t a knock-off version of the case I had seen online; there was a clear and obvious difference in quality between the photos online and the actual product I held in my hand.

Just to be sure, I pulled up the photos on the official Trexta site, and sure enough… the case depicted in the photos was quite different than the one I had received. So I sent an email to Trexta’s customer support department.

It was after business hours on a weekend evening, so I was pleasantly surprised when I received a personal response via email almost immediately.

“Shawn, I am so sorry to hear about that! We will contact you tomorrow to resolve the issue promptly! Respectfully, Eren Maral”

Sure enough, I received a phone call the next morning from Trexta’s customer relations expert, Cris Monge, who informed me that the photos used in the product descriptions online were, in fact, different from the actual product. But, he said, they’d like to “make things right.”

“I’m holding two other cases in my hand. One is black with blue stripes and the other is black with red stripes. While I know these aren’t exactly what you ordered, they do have the black plastic shell that you prefer. I’d like to send you both of these cases at no charge. Would that help to make things right?”

No need to bother with repackaging and returning the original case. The two new cases were mailed the same day, and a tracking number emailed to me immediately. I just received my two new cases… now three, in total.

As I mentioned before, these aren’t the least expensive cases on the market. In fact, Trexta has now invested nearly $100 into our relationship.

Setting aside my original feelings about the stylistic shortcomings in the design of the original case, my experience with their people has converted me into a happy customer for life (and even an evangelist of sorts, if this review produces the desired result).

Going beyond the call of duty…

One important thing to note here is that Trexta does not sell cases directly to the public. Like many product manufacturers, they only sell to 3rd-party vendors like the one from whom I had purchased my case. Most companies would have been happy to defer me to the reseller, where my complaint would no doubt have been lost in the shuffle, or at most, routed through a series of poorly-informed call center employees who would read from a script and prescribe the usual, “return it and we’ll see what we can do” shuffle.

But in this case (no pun intended), Trexta did the right thing. They gave a shit. I have no idea how many cases Trexta sells, but I was made to feel as though my purchase truly mattered to them. My perception of their brand mattered to them. Most importantly, my satisfaction and happiness mattered to them.

Wine-guy-turned-social-media-guru, Gary Vaynerchuk, refers to this trend as the “Thank You Economy.” It’s an economy built on meaningful, two-way relationships. It’s the result of a cultural shift in how we perceive ourselves in relation to the brands, products, and services we use.

Our expectations have changed completely.

We’re no longer satisfied with merely purchasing a good product at a great price. Rather, we have an expectation of interacting with the people—the real, live, human beings—who make up the companies and brands with whom we choose to do business, no matter how big or small.

In short, “You wanna go where everybody knows your name.”

We all want to feel as though we truly matter. As further proof of this point, recent studies of our purchasing patterns reveal that we’ll even pay a premium for this type of interaction. It is no longer enough to merely compete on price point or ambiguous attributes like “quality” alone; you’ve got to make an effort to truly connect with your customers in a meaningful way.

I consider Trexta one of those companies who truly “get it.” They clearly understand that every single customer interaction is important. And they’ve demonstrated to me that they’re willing to put their money behind that belief. It cost them to send me those two additional cases, but the value of the relationship is worth far more.

Ironically, your participation is the very proof of this process. When you click this link to check out the iPhone cases and other products by Trexta, you’re proving that the extra effort put forth by the folks at Trexta is resulting in a positive return already.

Learning to truly care for our customers—especially those who take the time to voice their complaints to us—can create priceless opportunities to improve our products, processes, and brand. But most importantly… we’ll be building mutually-beneficial relationships that could last a lifetime.

In fact, it is often true that relationships born out of adversity become those that are most meaningful to us in the long-term. Who knows what future impact that complaining client could have on your business and your life? Who’s to say that he or she won’t become your most important customer, or better yet, future business partner, collaborator, or lifelong friend?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

In what ways has your thinking about “customer service” been challenged recently? What changes have you made in your customer relations that could convert “complainers” into “collaborators”?

And, have you checked out the gorgeous iPhone cases and accessories by Trexta?