Thanks Frigidaire

You may recall that I was *ahem* slightly irritated over the mind-blowing difficulties of getting my broken Frigidaire wall oven fixed. It broke back in January and after five repair trips, three parts, four months and $600 I finally once again had a working oven but I was steamed that Harold's Appliance (the repair service) wasn't taking any responsibility for the problems and neither was Frigidaire.

I fumed and squawked and you all patiently listened, patted my hand and said, "There, there, we're here for you." Some even went so far as to write to Frigidaire and join me in storming the castle (Loralee? Mary? Are you there? Thanks!)

So in the interest of fairness and good sportsmanship I wanted to update you. Last Friday I received an email from Frigidaire's "Presidential Escalation Specialist" (no lie, that was her title) and if THAT doesn't have DEFCON 5 written all over it I don't know what does. She politely said the matter had come to her attention and would I please send her my product information so she could look into "assisting in the repairs."

Then Tuesday morning while I was still trying to collect my latest invoice from the repair service I got an email from Scott Harder, National Service Manager for Electrolux, with the following:

I just responded to your blog regarding your oven. Can you fax the invoice
from the repair to my number below? I would like to offer you a complete
compensation for the cost of your repair. I will personally contact
Harold's and find out what happened. We regret that you've had such a hard
time getting quality service.

Then, after faxing the invoices in I received this second notice:

I have requested that a check be mailed to the address on the
invoice for the total amount that you were charged for both repairs
($611.00). It should take a week to ten days to process, maybe a little
longer for the mail to get it to Alaska.

I did have an opportunity to speak with Harold's appliance. They are sorry
that you had such a hard time, and hope that next time things will go
better as this was a frustrating experience for them as well.

We hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive us for your bad
experience and have a positive impression of our company. We do make
quality products and stand behind them better than any other manufacturer.

From the bottom of my heart, Frigidaire, thank you very much. I appreciate the gesture.

Now the question arises: What have you learned Michelle from this whole experience?

Actually, I'm going to be a little serious here for a second because I felt a twinge of guilt after the whole thing was over. I was hot with righteous indignation over the ill-treatment I'd received and I sat down to write that original post without much thought about what the consequences would be.

My title was a little mean and I should have sat on the post overnight before firing it off like that. I probably would have cooled down a bit and taken it down a notch. But maybe it wouldn't have been so effective-- you might say. But my question is: is blogging all about revenge?

Of course not. I want to be nicer than that and I feel a little guilty to have let my emotions take over. Frigidaire kindly came forward and paid up for more than their share in the matter and I wish I'd been as high-handed. My working wall oven is baking up some good old-fashioned crow apparently.

So . . . I guess the lesson learned is watch out what you say because your words are out there and they'll stick. If you Google "Frigidaire" there my post is, with it's meany headline smack on page three--hopefully this post will land right beside it.

***

And on a lighter note, I was thrilled to discover a new online store that has officially become my favorite place for dresses. No really. Don't tell Andrew but I've ordered four of them (hey, it's spring, right? And I've been saving up my personal cash). It's called Shabby Apple and not only are the dresses beautiful but there isn't one over $100 and most are in the $60-$70 range. All of them are modest and very chic.

I'll be doing a full review of their site in June when I'll be able to tell you if the dresses I bought lived up to my expectations and offer a thrilling giveaway where you have the chance to own two of their dresses for yourself. But, in the meantime, if you'd care to join me in the fun of springtime shopping you can use this coupon code:

SAMarketing15offScribbit

at checkout and receive 15% off of your already well-priced order. The coupon is good through May 31st--so don't wait too long!

Technorati tags: product reviews, giveaways, Frigidaire, Shabby Apple