I tried the Amrita apricot strawberry energy bars about a week ago, and they made me feel sick. I called the customer service line and discovered that depending on how they were handled by the store they could have gone bad. They immediately listened to my concerns, promised they would contact the store, and asked for my address so they could send me replacement bars. Well, I received them this week.
The replacements tasted great, didn’t make me feel sick, and I went to the store and bought new ones with confidence. There are many lessons to be learned here.
- Don’t assume that something is ok just because it is before the use-by date. The way that stores handle food makes a big difference in the shelf life of things. I have written before of things that have gone bad in every grocery store and it was before the use-by date.
- Don’t assume it was because you didn’t like the product. I could have easily thought that this food didn’t agree with me, but it was simple ingredients and that thought didn’t make sense. There had to be something else wrong. I did a simple phone call and found out. If I had not done this, I would have missed enjoying delicious food.
- Don’t assume that a grocery store knows about the issue. When I called the grocery store back to tell them, they acted as though the company hadn’t contacted them. I didn’t want anyone else to feel sick like I did, so I took this step so that they could fix the problem for others. Perhaps the company didn’t contact them, but I doubt it since they were so responsive to me on the phone and I received my replacements a few days later.
- Don’t be surprised if there is a bonus for helping someone. I never look for a reward for doing the right thing, but I am grateful when it happens. I received more replacement bars that I bought, and I was able to save someone else from suffering from being sick like I was. To me, that is a bonus.
I love companies that have good service and even though it was a bad first impression, it has turned into a great impression and a company worth supporting.