This article was written by Garfinckel's president George Kelly in 1971 and was what we now refer to as a corporate mission statement. The whole core of the Garfinckel's retail business was boiled down to one very simple yet powerful statement: "Satisfy Our Customer." Success came when the company focused on that one concept. Their doom came when they looked away.
October, 1971
It
has come to my attention that although we've long practiced our customer satisfaction
policy, we've never publicized it. ..so this month I'm going to take a little
more space than usual to tell you about it.
Simply
explained, Garfinckel's policy is to "satisfy our customer."
What
does this policy mean? It means that in the event you find any of our merchandise
unsatisfactory, Garfinckel's will replace it, refund your money, credit your account,
or make an adjustment whichever is appropriate.
Although
we normally receive many more compliments than complaints about our merchandise,
I think it is important that you know specifically what to do if you are ever
dissatisfied with any purchase you've made at Garfinckel's.
Any
such merchandise should be returned to your salesperson or to any salesperson
in the department from which it was purchased. They will work with the buyer or
department manager to see that you get prompt, appropriate action.
I
know that questions involving matters other than merchandise sometimes concern
you. Let me clarify how you can get prompt, courteous attention to them, too.
Should
you have a question concerning your account or your monthly statement, call Bill
Adjustment at 628-7730, extension 627, or write to them at 1401 F Street N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20004.
Questions
concerning complicated transactions, cases involving a package pickup by one of
our trucks or a return by mail, or problems with our service, should be referred
to our Customer Service at 628-7730, extension 580 or may be directed to them
at the above address.
Finally,
if you ever feel it necessary, call on me, our store managers or any of myother
associates in Garfinckel's management to assist you. We want you to know that
Garfinckel's takes pride in our tradition of satisfying you, our valued customer
and that all of us here are committed to doing so.
George
P. Kelly
President, Garfinckel's