Surprised and Delighted!

In college, I took a marketing class from Professor Geurts.  The very first day he showed up with homemade cookies for the entire class.  It was a very pleasant surprise and a nice start!  He brought the cookies as a sort of object lesson that great marketing efforts are focused on "surprising and delighting" the consumer.  I will forever think about making customers "surprised and delighted" when I think about how companies ought to market their products and services.

So often, companies spend gazillions of dollars to make ads designed to get the customer in the door, but then spend little effort or attention on making sure that the customer is happy once they arrive.  I have grown to appreciate great customer service (and posted about it on this blog).  This week, I've had three examples of interactions with companies that left me surprised and delighted!

The Ink Spot - Orem, Utah

This is a great Utah company

A few years ago, my sister got me a Christmas present that I loved.  It was a BYU basketball practice jersey similar (but better) to the one above.  I think it looks really cool and I've been using it for this weekly basketball league that I've been playing in.

Unfortunately, some of the numbers and lettering have started peeling off.  I mailed it to The Ink Spot earlier this week to see if they could salvage it.  When I called today, they told me that they had fixed it and that they weren't going to charge me anything!  They said it should be better than new.  (Apparently, the numbers hadn't been heat pressed properly in the first place).  They are mailing it back to me today!  I can't wait to wear it!

I have literally bought dozens of jerseys from the Ink Spot through the years for church basketball teams, city league basketball teams, and office basketball teams.  You can be sure that with this type of customer service they will continue to get my business.  And I'll refer them any chance I get!

Southwest Airlines

About a month ago, I had to buy airline tix for a little race in Florida.  I had planned to fly out and back with my brother.  By the time I went to buy my tix though, the flight back (after the race) that my brother was taking was $500 one way!  Yikes!

I settled by buying a ticket the very next day for only $200.  I would have to miss an extra day of work and wouldn't be able to hang with my brother, but I figured it the best I could do.

Earlier this week, my brother called to let me know that Southwest had dropped prices.  I was able to go online and change my reservation to take advantage of price cuts on both the outgoing and homebound flights!  It only took about 5 minutes on the internet and Southwest didn't charge me a dime to do it!  Yay for convenience!  Panama City, here we come!

Apple

Last month, on our trip to the family reunion, my kids informed me that our Ipad was broken.  I took it to the Genius Bar only to find out that because it had been "mishandled" (i.e., thrown to the ground by Baby M.), our extended warranty didn't fully apply and we would need to pay a $49 deductible.

I didn't have the iPad replaced right then and there only because the iPad had been a gift from Santa to the kids and I wanted to keep the inscription on the back.

I mailed my iPad back and waited and waited and waited.  After two weeks (and my kids asking every day when it would be fixed), the iPad showed up!  Yay!

I eagerly opened it up to discover that...it hadn't been fixed!  What the heck???  I got on the horn to Apple's Customer Care.  When the CSR asked how I was doing, I pounced!  I let her know how unhappy I was that I had wasted two weeks and been sent back my non-working unit.  I asked her what Apple would be doing to rectify the situation.  She initially told me that I hadn't bought the "right" warranty and so my "accidental" damage was not covered.  The cost to replace my iPad was not going to be $49--it was going to be $249!

Our Family iPad

I told her that that was not going to work for me and asked to speak to her supervisor.  After about an hour of hold time and a good discussion with the supervisor, I got my answer.  Apple would be sending me a replacement unit free of charge.  No $249 replacement fee.  No $49 deductible.  Free.  Yay!

I was so impressed that I'm giving some serious thought into getting an iPad mini.  I'll justify that decision by telling myself I'll use it to Facetime with my kids when we're apart.  (Now if somebody could just tell me what exactly Facetime is and teach me how to use it!)

Thank You Hapari!

Sporting the Swim Trunks and the "Captain's Quarters"

I took a marketing class in college as part of my finance degree.  I'll never forget the mantra that our professor repeated over and over.  Great companies find ways to "surprise and delight" their customers.  That is why I think that Hapari is a great company.  They have a great product and they have even better customer service. Color me impressed.  Here's my Hapari story...

My Hapari Experience:
If you're like me, you probably thought that Hapari makes tankini swimsuits for women.  Period.  I had heard good things about Hapari's tankinis, but I don't like to shop and I know next to nothing about fashion in general (except for these tried and true fashion principles for men)--much less women's fashion.  Also, I'm not really in the market for a tankini, so Hapari was pretty far off my radar screen.

One of Hapari's Famous Tankinis - TheZebra V-Neck

Then my friend Brooke did a Hapari Swimsuit Giveaway on her blog.  Brooke is an amazing blogger and her giveaway attracted throngs of entries.  Finally, because of the giveaway, I decided to go to Hapari's website to see what all the fuss was about.  I was shocked to see that Hapari does have a line of board shorts and swim compression shorts.  Given all the good things I had heard about their women's swimwear, I was a little intrigued to see what their men's swimwear was all about.

Red Aloha Compression Swim Shorts

Right about that time, we decided to take a last-minute family vacation to Hawaii.  Now I needed a new suit! I took a closer look and realized that not only were Hapari's boardshorts and compression shorts a good deal--they were also on sale.  I ordered a pair of board shorts and a pair of the swim compression shorts (aka "Captain's Quarters").

Men's Blue Hawaiian Tribal Boardshorts

I placed my order about a week before I was supposed to fly to Hawaii.  After placing my order, I realized that Hapari was having a free shipping promotion that I had somehow missed out on.  I called Hapari customer service to see if they would retroactively apply it for me.  I was surprised and delighted when they did (without giving me any hassle)!  =o)

We were scheduled to leave on Saturday morning.  I dutifully tracked my package all the way to my office building via the USPS's web site.  Then at 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening, I realized that the package still hadn't arrived!  I raced down to the Post Office Sorting Center to see what had happened and to try and intercept my package.  Apparently, my package had made it all the way to my building, but due to a shipping mix-up my package had been sent back to Hapari!  (Somehow, my suite number hadn't made it on the package)

I waited in the bowels of the Post Office Center amidst scores of Netflix returns, orthodontic appointment cards, and various other packages that were leaving that night.  Unfortunately, no one there could find my package.  I would have to fly to Hawaii without my Hapari gear!

Yes, I was disappointed, but I still hadn't lost all hope.  I emailed Hapari Customer Service over the weekend to let them know what had happened and to see if they could help.  Little did I know that I was about to be surprised and delighted for a second time.

I woke up Monday morning in Hawaii to find the following email in my inbox from Hapari Customer Service:

Hapari Customer Service is all over it...

Wow!  How could you ask for anything more?  Not only did Hapari ship it Express Mail--to Hawaii--but they also did it at their own expense!

Needless to say, I was really excited for the package to arrive, which it did two days later.  After the package arrived, one of Hapari's Customer Service People actually sent me another email to make sure that it had arrived properly.  (Thanks River!)

Product Review: Hapari's Boardshorts:

My first thought when I pulled out my new board shorts was that they were HUGE!  Little did I know that instead of a size 36, I had received a size 40!  (Don't worry, Hapari would make it right later on.)  I figured that I was stuck with them, however, because I'd be back home by the time that Hapari could send me a smaller replacement pair, so I went ahead and decided to use them anyway.

My next observation was that the boardshorts felt incredibly soft right out of the package.  I'm used to boardshorts having a stiffer fabric, so I was a little worried at first.  I shouldn't have been.

I quickly realized that I loved the soft feel of the fabric.  It made them incredibly comfortable to wear.

I have no idea what fabric Hapari uses for its tankinis, but if it is anywhere near as good of a quality as the stuff that it uses for its boardshorts, I can see why Hapari has developed such a loyal following amongst its female customers.


I also thought that the shorts looked as good in person as they did on the website. Even my wife was impressed with how they looked.  She doesn't have a lot of confidence in my ability to pick out clothes on my own, so I think she was a little confused that I managed to find them on my own!  (See me attempting to model the shorts in the pic...)

For me, the fact that the shorts are both stylish (at least according to my wife) and comfortable means that I have hit the Holy Grail of shopping.  (Because I hate shopping for clothes!)  I really need to buy 2 more pairs!  I just wish they came in more patterns than just red and blue.

They are so comfortable that I even wore them to the Hawaiian Luau that we went to on Sunday afternoon.  Here's a pic that we got of me taking our three year old daughter up on stage to learn how to do the Hula Dance.  My daughter (E.) is dressed in purple below.  I'm the dude in blue who can't quite keep the beat!  :(

My Hips Don't Lie...The Hapari Boardshorts in Action

When I got back to California, Hapari sent me a replacement pair since the first pair were a little too big.  Again, Hapari did it--no questions asked--and shipped it for free.  They surprised and delighted me for a third time.  Thanks Hapari!  =o)

Product Review: "Captain's Quarters" Swim Compression Shorts:
Hapari has a large selection of these shorts on its website.  But at the time that I ordered these, they were out-of-stock in my size on every single style except for the red aloha version.

But before I continue my review, I must digress for a moment:

I'm sure that a girl named this product.  And it's a cute name, if you're shopping for your kid.  And the name probably tested well with women.  I am just not that big of a fan of the name.

I told Hapari this on the phone, so it's not like I'm afraid to give them my opinion on this issue.  To me, the name conjures up images of "tighty-whitey's" and other unmentionable things that guys would rather not discuss (at least publicly).  I much prefer to call them compression shorts or swim compression shorts.  But hey, this is only a minor nit in the grand scheme of things.

I bought these because boardshorts can be very uncomfortable to walk around in--particularly when they are wet.  It tends to lead to chafing of sensitive areas.  This can be a very painful experience if you spend all day playing on the beach.

I also love wearing compression shorts when I play basketball or run.  Finally, these shorts remind me of the swimming "jammers" that I wear to the pool when I swim laps.  So the thought of wearing these seemed very natural to me.  I also thought they might be kind of fun to have for our Hawaii adventure.  Little did I know that I was going to hit the jackpot by ordering these.  Yes, I liked them that much.  =o)

At first, I wasn't quite sure whether these were strictly for wearing under my boardshorts or whether I could wear them in their own right.  Hapari's web site claims that you can wear them both ways, so I just decided to  go with what felt comfortable.

When I opened up the package, I realized that these shorts looked bright.  My wife agreed and couldn't stop giving me grief about how bright they were.  Little did I know that that was just the beginning of the mockery and grief I would endure from her.  But in the end, it was worth it.  Yes, the shorts are that comfortable!

Hard at "work" on our favorite beach while wearing my swim compression shorts...

Because my boardshorts were a little big, I thought they might come off in the surf, so I decided to wear only the swim compression shorts while in the water (i.e. body surfing, snorkeling, etc.).  My wife is insistent that I post more "action shots" of me wearing only the swim compression shorts, but this is a family-friendly blog, so those pictures have been safely embargoed.  My wife thought that the floral pattern was pretty bright and not manly.  She also thought that the "Captain's Quarters" were a bit...ahem...form fitting.

Well, of course they are!  They are compression shorts for goodness sake.  But if I had to do it again, I would buy the black ones.  Also, I wish that the swim compression shorts were a little longer.  The pics on Hapari's web site show these shorts going almost to the knee of their models.  I'm pretty tall and mine came barely to my mid-thigh.  I'm betting that whomever Hapari used to model these shorts were definitely shorter than I am!

Oops, how did this shot get in there?  The Captain's Quarters are a little longer than these ones are...

But the swim compression shorts themselves were so comfortable to wear that I didn't even mind my wife's teasing or the fact that I wished that they were a little longer.  The shorts have a soft, satin-like texture and made swimming easy and fun.  I also like how the red color complemented/contrasted the blue on my boardshorts.  I need to remind myself to get a couple additional pairs the next time that we go to Hawaii on vacation.

So, in summary, if you're thinking about getting the Hapari swim compression shorts, go ahead and pull the trigger.  You won't regret it.

One Final Surprise:

Hang Loose Hapari

Despite the minor shipping and sizing issues that I had with my order, my Hapari purchases were totally worth it.  The products were great and so were the prices.  The exceptional customer service was just a bonus.

Still, Hapari had one final surprise in store for me.  I received an email just the other day notifying me that Hapari had gone ahead and refunded my entire order!  Yay!

At this point in time, being surprised and delighted by Hapari has become almost routine!

Anyway, if you're looking for some quality board shorts or swim wear at reasonable prices, I'd say you can't go wrong with Hapari's stuff.  Mahalo, Hapari!  =o)

We Love Hapari!