How Important is Good Customer Service?

Most of the time when you buy or order something, everything is the way it is supposed to be and you never have to deal with customer service. Have you ever ordered something from a company and it takes forever to get it and you can't get in touch with anybody? have you ever bought something that you were completely displeased with or eaten at a restaurant where everything goes wrong? Does how they react to you as the customer determine whether or not you buy their product/service again?

To me good customer service is very important. When I am spending my (well technically my husband's) hard earned money on a product or service I want to know that my experience with their product/service matters to them. If we eat in a restaurant and have a horrible experience that is not made right, I don't care how good the food is, we won't go back. If I buy a product from a company and am very displeased with it, or it takes forever to arrive, or you can never get in touch with anyone, I won't order from them again.

The reverse is also true. When a company goes out of their way to ensure that their customers are happy and satisfied, it makes you want to go back and buy more products from them. A few weeks ago I ordered some homeschool products through The Old Schoolhouse Store. Each of the vendors that you buy from ship their own products. For some reason, my order from Visual Manna did not arrive. After a couple of weeks, I contacted The Old Schoolhouse Store (who by the way contacted me back right away and was very helpful in trying to solve my problem) and they contacted the vendor. Within two days, I received a package from them with a note of apology. Unfortunately, it was the CD version of what I ordered, not the book. I contacted the vendor directly and received an email response almost immediately. She apologized profusely and assured me that the correct product was on the way. She also sent me links so I could download their Artsy Animals book and workbook. She really made me feel like I as a customer mattered to her, even though the book that I bought was not even expensive, and went out of her way to make up for the mistake. I will definitely order from Visual Manna again.