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Case Study - Oberon Socks

I’ll use this opportunity to talk about what customer experience means and why I’m extremely pleased with Oberon Socks, which I will refer to from here on as “OS”. As with all things, the sum total of customer (user) experience is all the little experiences. The brand name, design, logo, on-hold phone music, usability, trust, copywriting, easy of contact, expectations, follow-ups, and any user experience with a company or product will either build or destroy goodwill; the difference between landing front page on The Consumerist or making customers brand loyal.

After ordering 2x of blue and black argyle socks, I was disappointed that after only two washes (following OS instructions) the black argyles had developed holes. At the OS website, I easily found the return policy in the FAQ. To my surprise OS return policy is simple, if dissatisfied with the socks for any reason at any time, send them an email about why you’re unhappy with the purchase and they will issue a refund, and that’s it.

I sent OS an email stating why I wanted a refund, also that I prefer to have replacements sent instead of reimbursement, as I really do like OS products. One day later, I received an email that began with

“I’m so sorry to hear our socks haven’t held up well! I can definitely send you two more pairs. Just to be sure – you would like two more pairs instead of a refund, is that correct? We can either send replacements or refund your order. I will also send you an extra pair of blue socks by way of apology.”

After answering a question I asked, the email ends with

“Please let us know if you have any problems with the blue socks or the replacement gray socks.”

The email ends by reconfirming the address I would like the replacements sent to and a thank you. After responding, I promptly received a follow-up informing me my order will go out tomorrow morning.

Attention to detail and promptness of response from Chris Clark, shows OS cares when expectations are broken and trust is at risk. Caring about customer experience begins with simply being prompt and civil; be more conscious to consider the damage a snotty reply or no response has on customers, and the goodwill built by just being polite. Thanks for listening.