Poolside

July 13, 2007

I have a huge robot that cleans our 75,000-square-foot outdoor pool. It is so sophisticated that it memorizes its path, works for six hours at a time, climbs the walls to scrub up to deck level, and can shoot down low-flying birds. I love it, and it’s in my will.

However, it can’t negotiate a series of steps to get into the pool, and it’s not appropriate to launch it for spot cleaning jobs. So I was overjoyed to purchase a Water Tech™ Pool Buster® recently. This small vacuum worked beautifully twice, then conked out, and technical support was just tedious. They sent a new charger for some strange reason, then I could only get voice mail, yada yada yada.

So I called and asked for the president of Water Tech after complaining to the receptionist that I would not talk to technical support again. She said calmly, “One moment,” and the next thing I know I’m talking to Guy Erlich, the president of the company.

“I don’t normally pick up the phone,” he said. “But we don’t have unhappy customers here. How can I help you?”

I told him of my travails. He told me to ship the unit back Fedex using his account number and they’d ship me a new one. He apologized for the trouble. I told him that I thought the machine was great when it worked. He told me this was an exception, and that they would make it right.

I’m now a great advocate of Water Tech, because the president picked up the phone (and I’m sure is reviewing the responsiveness of his technical people). That’s all it takes to turn a problem into an opportunity.

Do you need a pool vacuum? Give Gary a call at 800/298-8800, and mention my name. He’s a great guy with a fine product.