flipflop leos customer service

sI have been sewing and selling leotards for over 30 years now.  13 years ago I opened a store on Ebay where I still sell today.  When I first started selling on Ebay it was like the wild, wild west, and "Buyer Beware" was certainly a valid warning.  I knew from the start that caring about my customers, selling a quality product, and providing the best service I could was essential.  In 13 years I have sold 1.5 million dollars worth of letoards on Ebay.  I have over 30, 500 unique positive feedbacks with 100% customer rating. Ebay recognized that buyers didn't always trust it's sellers and started implementing policy after policy after policy to force sellers to comply with what it felt were "best practices".  For the most part, they were right, but the pendulum has swung so far that Ebay sellers can be penalized for events and circumstances that are totally out of the seller's control.  Ebay's cookie-cutter approach to "best practices" isn't right for every seller or every store, yet we are required to comply.  Eventually, this will mean that I am likely to close my Ebay store.  

Having said that, I have one simple mission statement where customer service is concerned, and I'm sure it is familiar to you.  It is the Golden Rule.  I strive to treat my buyers as I would want to be treated.  Although I try to be a perfect 10 in every transaction, I am human and sometimes I do not stick the landing.  When this happens, I bend over backwards to make it up to my buyers.  Recently, a listing error or my inventory control function on this web site allowed a buyer to buy a leotard that was no longer in stock, and I was out of the fabric.  I refunded her payment for that selection, sent a substitute for it, and on top of that sent a complimentary leotard as an apology.  I included a note explaining all of my attempts to make up my mistake.  I was so thrilled to receive the following reply:

"Hi Debbie,
 
First I want to say, Thank you! I think you are amazing and your product is amazing too!
We received our order today, which is amazing in itself, we only ordered over the weekend.
When my daughter opened the bag I noticed an extra leo in there and said we need to call or email and let them know we only ordered 4 not 5 and then I saw your note! Apparently the website read a choice of a leo in her size that was no longer available and you then replaced it with another which she loves and then sent us another one! I am floored by your kindness and your generosity! I am so grateful and my daughter was thrilled to pieces!!
Your customer service is more than amazing and you stand behind your word 100%. The leos fit her perfect, thank you for teaching me how to measure for them! I am so happy that you are a local business here in South Carolina! I will tell as many people as I can about your business! According to my daughter we will be doing gymnastics for years to come and so you are my new go to place for leos! This was the first time we have ordered through you and it has been the most wonderful experience for us and I just wanted to share that with you! God will bless you tenfold for being such a great person! You have to be a certain kind of person to do what you did and I just wanted you to know it was greatly appreciated and we are truly grateful!
Thank you"

This is why I do what I do.  I frequently say, "I strive to have the best customer service on the internet - I already have the best customers."  

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