Cam I Am

About a week ago, I wrote a post about my complaint about a couple of baby gates under the brand name “The First Years”

Well, things have progressed nicely there..

First, they are sending me two sets of the hinges that were broken at no cost..

But the second part is even better.  If though I can’t find the original receipt for either of the gates, they are sending a new gate to replace the one that has internal parts that I broken!   I had to find some information for them and send them another form of proof that I actually had the gate, but they are replacing it.

I am impressed when companies that manufacture/sell products for kids stand behind them and do whatever it takes to make the customer happy.

Too bad that companies rarely do it for products for adults..

This past week proved to be a frustrating one at work.. 

On Monday, I had a call to install digital phone service for a customer.  Ordinarily, this is relatively easy to do for most customers, but this was no ordinary case.

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Yesterday I decided to complain to a manufacturer of a couple baby gates that we had bought over the last 1 1/2 years.   I don’t usually complain to companies (normally I grumble to my wife about them), but I felt that I needed to tell Learning Curve what I thought about there “The First Years” baby gate..

Here’s what I wrote:

In the past 18 months, I have purchased two of your “Everywhere Gate” for our home. We bought them because we didn’t want our two toddlers climbing up or down the stairs. I have to say that I am EXTREMELY disappointed with this product. About 2 months ago, one of the gates (that we had for only 3 months at that point), broke. It seems that the mechanism inside the top part gate that allows you to adjust the width and lock it broke. I had to open it up to “super glue” it back together. The second gate has been fine (we’ve had it for 18 months now), but the mounting hardware has broken. I’ve had to make a temporary mounting bracket out of wood just so that we can still use it. We’ve bought many “The First Years” products over the past several years, but I have to say that the quality of these gates is not what I expect it to be. I bought these gates to keep my kids safe, but I feel that they are not doing there job. If you could contact me about this I would appreciate it.

 I wrote that mostly expecting a “very sorry but there isn’t anything we can/will do”.  The last time I remeber complaining about a baby/childrens product was in 2001 when we bought a crib at Sears made by Storkcraft.  One part was completely broken in the box.  Storkcraft did replace the part without a problem or charge to me.  Surely that wouldn’t happen again!

Well, I checked my e-mail this morning and I had a reply.

Cameron,

 Thanks for your inquiry.  The First Years gates carry a one-year warranty on them & we do have some replacement parts for our Everywhere gate Y4996. 

Please refer to your instruction manual to get the exact name of the part that broke.  Once you get that email us back with that plus, your name, address, and phone number.  If we have the part available we would be more than happy to send it out with our compliments.  The adjustment buckle that you are also having problems with is a non-replaceable part.  If you have a receipt stating it was purchased in the last year please let me know and I can advise further. 

Regards,

Consumer Services

Wow…  I’m impressed..  now I just need to find the receipt for one of those gates.. 

In the past few weeks, my 6-year old daughter has been losing teeth..  When she loses one, she puts it under her pillow, the tooth fairy comes and leaves money..

This is a fact that we all know.  But apparently things have changed since I was a kid..

A couple weeks ago, another tooth fell out and we went through the usual routine.  The next morning she came flying into our room and showed us the money the the tooth fairy left.  And then she told me something interesting.  She said that she saw the tooth fairy!

I tense up a bit.  “What do you mean that you saw the tooth fairy?”  She replied that she saw the tooth fairy come in her room.  ”I saw the tooth fairy!  There are two of them, a boy and a girl!  They use a machine to get the tooth from under the pillow and leave the money there!”

I’m sitting there stunned..  I never saw the tooth fairy..   I don’t recall ever hearing about this fabled machine the sucks the tooth from under the pillow and leaves money behind..

She smiles at me (with a big hole in her mouth where 4 teeth used to be), and runs off to put her money in the piggy bank…

I guess you learn something new every day..