When I think about the brands that I am loyal to, most get that loyalty for a broad combination of emotional and feature/benefit connections. I have played with Wilson tennis racquets since I was a kid swinging a wood ProStaff. I prefer Gatorade to any other sports drink because, well, it’s Gatorade. Given a choice between Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, I go blue (sorry ATL friends). But I have recently had singular experiences that have earned my loyalty for the forseeable future.
On a recent trip to Atlanta, my 5 year old TravelPro rollerboard broke. The retractable handle would not retract (ugh!). I had to quickly figure out how to disassemble the bag and remove the handle to get it into the overhead compartment. In the back of my mind, I remembered “Lifetime Warrantee” and TravelPro. When I got back to NYC, a quick Google search and a telephone call later I had a return authorization. A walk down the block and my bag was off to Boca Raton to get repaired.
Three weeks later and I am back on a plane. My TravelPro bag is back in the overhead – fully repaired – with a new handle. But more than the new handle it has new zipper pulls (some were bent/broken), new wheels (did not even know I needed them), and a cleaned interior. I don’t think I will go elsewhere for luggage for a very long time.
Sometimes, it takes only one great experience to earn a loyal customer for life.
Being Present 