Photo: IgorVetushko/Depositphotos
There’s good customer service, and then there are a few companies that go above and beyond to support their customers. When Anna Brose contacted Chewy, an online pet food and supplies retailer, she was simply hoping to return an unused bag of dog food after her dog, Gus, passed away. When she explained the situation to a representative, she was met with sympathy and consideration.
“I contacted @Chewy last week,” Brose tweeted, “to see if I could return an unused bag of my dog’s food after he died. They 1) gave me a full refund, 2) told me to donate the food to the shelter, and 3) had flowers delivered today with the gift note signed by the person I talked to??” Chewy then responded, “It’s the least we could do, Anna. We hope these flowers will help to keep your spirits up.”
Andrew Stein, the company’s senior director for customer service affirms, “Showing up for our customers during important milestones in their pet parenting journey is core to our DNA.”
This incredible customer service interaction also brought out the best of the internet, as people bonding over their love for their pets so often does. Brose’s tweet received over 10,000 comments, with people offering condolences and sharing stories of their own pets and positive experiences with Chewy. One Twitter user commented, “We will forever be grateful for this painting you guys sent us after we had to put Daisy down. We still aren’t positive how y’all knew as we still had other dogs and didn’t cancel any good orders. We put her up where we see her every day. Thank you guys so much!” This led to a host of heartwarming replies, with others sharing photos of their pet portraits.
Aside from it being quality customer service, Chewy puts an effort into these gestures because they understand how much a pet can mean to someone, and how painful the loss of that can be. “For many customers, their pet is a primary companion in life, and when they lose their fur baby, they may feel alone and in need of someone to lean on,” says Stein. “In those moments, they understand that Chewy is also part of their family, and they are so grateful.”
It also turns out that these acts of kindness by the company have a ripple effect—their suggestion to donate unneeded food benefits the animals in shelters waiting for their forever home. One animal shelter worker commented on Brose’s tweet, saying, “I work at an animal shelter. This is legit. We often have people reaching out to donate because Chewy told them to reach to a local shelter. I can’t express what this means to [shelters] like mine. Truly a gift.”
Finally, for Brose who continues to grieve her beloved Gus, all the heartfelt messages from strangers mean something particularly special. A few days after the original post, she tweeted: “So Gus went viral this week. It means so much that so many people will remember him!”
When her dog, Gus, passed away, Anna Brose contacted pet supplies retailer Chewy about returning some unused dog food. The customer service she was met with went above and beyond.
I contacted @Chewy last week to see if I could return an unopened bag of my dog’s food after he died. They 1) gave me a full refund, 2) told me to donate the food to the shelter, and 3) had flowers delivered today with the gift note signed by the person I talked to??
— Anna Brose, MSc (@alcesanna) June 15, 2022
Chewy gave Brose a full refund, told her to donate the food to a shelter, and sent her flowers with a personalized note.
It’s the least we could do, Anna. We hope these flowers will help to keep your spirits up.
— Chewy (@Chewy) June 15, 2022
Brose’s tweet went viral, receiving over 10,000 sweet comments offering condolences.
Thank you all for the kind messages and shared stories in the comments Gus would have been blown away! pic.twitter.com/DiopASuHIi
— Anna Brose, MSc (@alcesanna) June 16, 2022
Someone else shared another way Chewy reached out to them when their dog passed away was by sending them a hand-painted portrait of their lost pet.
we will forever be grateful for this painting you guys sent us after we had to put daisy down. we still aren’t positive how y’all knew as we still had other dogs and didn’t cancel any good orders. we put her up where we see her everyday. thank you guys so much! https://t.co/xQs5so520r
— mollie (@molliexmartin) June 16, 2022
The company’s kindness has also had a ripple effect, with the donated food benefitting pets waiting to be adopted in shelters.
I work at an animal shelter. This is legit. We often have people reaching out to donate because Chewy told them to reach out to a local shelter. I can’t express what this means to shelter’s like mine. Truly a gift.
— jgrace (@jgmonte922) June 16, 2022
The interaction brought out the best of the internet, as people bonding over their love for their pets so often does.
So Gus went viral this week. It means so much that so many people will remember him! https://t.co/fEFK51PMKX
— Anna Brose, MSc (@alcesanna) June 18, 2022
h/t: [NBC Connecticut]
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