Subscribe RSS FeedMy Dad and I were talking last night, and he was excited to relate a customer service experience he had with GPI (Great Plains International) last week. GPI manufactures and sells fuel pumps and meters. Mostly industrial / farm use. My Dad has one of their hand operated fuel pumps on a diesel fuel tank he keeps around for his little Kubota tractor (It’s named yoda). The pump stopped working a few days ago, it’s not unusual, diesel fuel is dirty, and the tank was a few years old, and out in the sun, rarely used, etc… etc… All the factors that contribute to premature failure of mechanical things, no big deal.
He (my Dad) went to their website to purchase a rebuild kit for the hand pump on the tank for yoda. He says he spent 30 minutes. He had the part number for the pump, he knew exactly what he wanted, but their site had absolutely nothing of use to him. The site looked nice, it had lots of information about their pumps, and had ways to request more information, but it didn’t have anyway to buy anything, or any information about how to buy anything other than a “request more info” link.
So my Dad sent them an email. He said, (paraphrased) “Your site stinks. I was looking for a rebuild kit for one of your pumps (model 456xyp) and I couldn’t find anything on your website, or anywhere else on the internet for that matter. …”, and left the matter at that.
A few days later he received an unexpected phone call from a GTI rep. They said “Mr. Novak, I’m sorry you had a problem with our site, you’re right, it stinks. We’re working on it. Unfortunatly, we don’t have a rebuild kit for your pump, but we do have all the parts to fix it available separately. We’re going to send you all the parts complementary.”
Can you say “WOW!”? That, is customer service. My Dad’s not a big buyer. The hand pump on his tractor is probably the only thing he owns that is made by them. But people talk, and anytime this event can be fit into a conversation about something related, you can bet He’ll mention it, and in the matter of Fuel Pumps, he will probably never even consider anything but a gti product.