Why I Like Costco

Great customer service is the main reason I keep our membership at Costco.   I am always amazed at the ability of the Costco associates to what's right for the customer.  Here are some of the examples I've experienced:

Post purchase breakage.  Once I purchased a large container of hummus for a party.  While transferring the container to my truck, I dropped it and splattered the contents on the parking lot.  So I went back in to purchase another product.  As I was checking out, the self service person noticed that I was buying the same product again.  I explained that I had dropped the previous purchase. She immediately told me that Costco would replace my broken product at no charge.

Return policy.  For most products, Costco will refund a return forever.  This policy no longer applies to electronics such as TVs, DVDs, and computers.  I've returned items after as much as four years, without any issue even when there wasn't a receipt.  The Costco representative will look up the purchase on their system and refund the price.   With a receipt is even easier.

Executive membership rebate.  When I purchased the Executive Membership, I was told that Costco would pay the difference if the 2% rebate did not exceed the additional cost of the membership.  In 2011, our 2% rebate did not exceed the additional $50 cost for an Executive Membership.  When I read the rebate check, the terms noted that there was no guaranteed refund of the difference between the rebate and additional cost.   However, when I took my less than $50 rebate check to the customer service desk and mentioned the gap, the customer service rep immediately said Costco would refund the difference

While customer service is great, the prices are also very good.  I believe that I am always getting a low if not the lowest price for any item I purchase. So I will maintain our executive membership with Costco and continue shopping there.

Disclosure:  In case readers are wondering, no compensation was received for this article.   This post represents my own opinions and experiences.

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This is not financial or shopping advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

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