Amazing Customer Awareness : Just a Candy Bar Away

This may sound silly at first, but last year I wrote an angry email to Russell Stover, the Denver based confectioner that has been making candy since 1923. They make a lot of

really good stuff and one of my favorites, only available around Easter, is the Coconut Nest. It's a nice little coconut and chocolate mixture with three or four little jelly bean "eggs" placed in the center of the "nest".

Now I try to watch my weight and pay attention to what I'm eating, but every year I would buy a few of these over a couple weeks. More a seasonal splurge than a chocolate binge. So last year I noticed them on the shelf at our pharmacy and picked one up. Now granted, it's just a piece of candy, but what a big disappointment.



The nest like quality was gone. Instead of the coarse coconut surface of the piece I found smooth, amorphous disk of chocolate. The taste was okay but fresh coconut flavor was absent. And the jelly bean eggs? GONE! One of my favorite treats had gone from completely delightful to a "I could do better myself at home" piece of blah.

Well, to be honest, I must have been having a lousy day. When I got home I posted some snide little quip on FaceBook, and then Googled Russell Stover, found the email address of their customer service department, and fired off an email. I wasn't mean or nasty, I was disappointed. I mentioned that I -get- the falling economy, I -get- reduced manufacturing costs, what I WON'T -get- is any more Coconut Nests! I vented, I felt a bit better, and I really didn't expect any significant reply. My expectations were fully met with a fairly insignificant reply...

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Dear Mr. Schuch:

Thank you for recently contacting us.  It is always a pleasure 
to hear from our customers whether it is to praise or in offering 
their comments and/or suggestions.

We are sorry to hear you were disappointed in our Coconut Nests.  
Your comments will not go unnoticed.

Thank you again for contacting us, and we hope you continue to 
enjoy our candies.  Future purchases can also be made through 
our Mail Order Department.  Just call our toll-free number, 
1-800-477-8683, and someone will be pleased to assist you or 
visit our website at www.russellstover.com.  Order now and 
receive free standard shipping with your purchase of $45.00 
or more.  This offer applies to online and mail order purchases 
only.

Russell Stover Candies Consumer Service

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Total form letter. No biggie, but I did roll my eyes when I got to the sales pitch at the end. Really? You want me to spend $45.00 on your website? Did you READ my email???

Now I did expect my email to get read, and I even expected to get some lame reply. It wouldn't have surprised me if my complaint made it into some report that was reviewed at a marketing meeting. It wouldn't even have surprised me if that meeting resulted in Russell Stover making some sort of change. But from my end, I just completely forgot the whole episode. Just a small but sad turn of the page.

But what happened a couple weeks ago TOTALLY blew me away ...

And what's more, they actually SENT ME THE CANDY ! ! !

"So what" you might say. A form letter from the President of Russell Stover (I love how they put "with jelly beans" in bold type). Big deal. Even a couple pieces of free candy. Cool, but so what?

Here's what ...

What amazes me is that this came a YEAR after my email. Sure, most any company would read their customer email, would probably respond, and might even act on a customer complaint. But through the course of the last year, the horrible economy, and God only knows how many internal crises' and issues they had to deal with, Russell Stover saved my name, as well as those of all the other people who complained. And when they corrected their misstep, they had someone dig back into the files, sit down and print out mailing labels and letters, stuff candy into padded envelopes, and gave all of us Coconut Nest fans more of a corporate apology than anyone would ever expect.

I'm a jaded American consumer. I'm used to getting discounted, overlooked and, well, screwed. I often "vote with my wallet" but never really believe that has any effect. Maybe that's why Russell Stovers response was so overwhelming for me. Hell, it made me smile when I opened the envelope, and I still smile every time I think about it.

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March 1, 2011
Hey Mr. Ward, (President, Russell Stover Candies)

   Thanks for sending me the letter and Coconut Nests. You guys 
are awesome. Please tell your people they are awesome. And tell 
your family that you were awesome at work today. 
   Tell your sales folks that I will resume buying Coconut Nests 
this Easter. Whats more I will make it a point to try your other 
seasonal offerings. And next February the heart-shaped box I buy 
will have your logo on the back.
   Tell your marketing guys that every time I walk by a Russell 
Stover display in a store, I'm going to think "now THERE is a 
great company." Sorry abut the FaceBook smack last year, but 
maybe my blog entry will make up for that.
   In this age of the down-sized, off-shore, out-sourced, quality 
comes second American manufacturer it is greatly reassuring to 
see a company that "gets it". 
An organization doing it right. 

Thanks again,
John Schuch
A renewed customer, and an impressed fan. 

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And to Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba, Chrysler/Dodge, and everyone else currently on my shit list, YOU AIN'T NO RUSSELL STOVER! Frankly, you all have a long long way to go.

And to my readers, if you like coconut do go find and try a Coconut Nest. They really are quite something ... again.