Fueling Up Tanks with Great Customer Service

Here’s the deal, mistakes happen. But we’ve all been taught what matters most is how you handle these inconveniences. Sometimes we blow it out of proportion and insist on writing a letter to the owner (think Mr. Royal Hampton a la White Chicks), but I’m usually pretty good at managing my frustration when life throws me a curveball. Enter Booster Fuels.

 

For those of you who don’t know, Booster offers a service to refuel vehicles while their owners are at work. A charming purple mini-tanker circles the car lot dispensing gasoline into vehicles that have requested fuel via the app. As usual I had requested my car to be filled Friday morning. Around noon a text notification alerted me that I had a full tank and was ready for the weekend. How convenient, right?

 

Fast forward a few hours and I’m getting ready to leave the office and meet some coworkers for a drink around the corner. I manage to misplace my keys, search for twenty minutes, and finally locate them in a pocket I don’t usually keep them in. At this point I’m already a bit frazzled when halfway to the restaurant I realize my gas tank wasn’t filled at all. The weekend hasn’t even started and I’m already on strike two. The bad-mood train is gaining steam.

 

After venting to my coworkers, and focusing all my energy to be extra polite, I whip out my phone and try to figure out how to contact Booster support. After a few taps I find a chat icon and summon all my inner-strength from the two yoga classes I attended this year to write a kind, factual message explaining the situation. No expletives or virtual finger-pointing were included in my message; in a past life I worked at Blockbuster and berating the cashier was not the way to get a free movie. Including a picture of my quarter-full gas gauge was the final touch before hitting send, and the instant auto-reply let me know I wouldn’t be hearing from them until Monday when their offices were open. C’est la vie. I guess I’ll have to visit a gas station.

 

Long story short, my weekend wasn’t ruined. Having to refuel at the pump myself wasn’t a big deal once I remembered how to enter my credit card zip code. And Monday morning I got a message from Zach at Booster, he asked me to double check a few things and then immediately refunded the charge from last Friday’s fuel up. On top of that he apologized and credited my account for the trouble. Now, I’m a happy camper! Sure, I told a few people about how my tank wasn’t fueled and I was still charged. But the focus of my story wasn’t about how I got screwed, it was about the easy resolution, and the way they treated me as a valued customer. Mistakes happen, but that’s where businesses have an opportunity to create a positive experience and foster customer loyalty. And thanks to Booster, I’ve been happily requesting fuel-ups ever since!