Fathead Blog

The San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers square off Wednesday in San Francisco to start the 2010 World Series. It’s expected to pull in some of the lowest television ratings in the history of the Fall Classic, but you wouldn’t know it around these parts. The Bay Area is atwitter about the Giants and whether or not their pitching can shut down a Rangers offense that includes Josh Hamilton, Vladimir Guerrero and Michael Young.  And even more chatty about how the average ticket to the series ticket is fetching $800.

When I moved to San Francisco in the year 2000,  I had every intention of following the Giants. As a Detroit Tigers fan, it made perfect sense to me. The Giants were in the National League, which would avoid any conflict of interest (except for a potential World Series match-up that would certainly be played on an icy field in hell). And the Giants had just moved into a spectacular new stadium down the street from my new job. However, that plan disappeared faster than an 85 mph fastball from Kirk Reuter to Kevin Elster .

It’s true that the stadium is beautiful, but the diehard fans had been priced out of it. Corporations and soon-to-be bankrupt dot-coms controlled the bulk of the season tickets. The couple of times I was floated tickets from the construction company I worked for, I was surrounded by “fans” who were only vaguely aware that there was a baseball game happening. It was a constant parade of people moving through the row to the concession stands for garlic fries. Or the guy on the cell phone, who, just as the pitcher goes into the wind up, pops up, turns around, and waves his arms so his friend can spot him. Where’s Harry Callaghan when you really need him? That stuff alone was enough to stop going to the new park, but mix in an aging team built around Barry Bonds and I was definitely not interested.

I never would’ve guessed it beforehand, but I found myself regularly driving over the Bay Bridge to Oakland for the exact opposite experience. The Oakland A’s were a scrappy team that seemed to genuinely enjoy playing together. Most of the games were sparsely attended (and they still are). But the people were there for a ballgame, not to be seen and definitely not to impress clients. The shared feeling inside the Oakland Coliseum was essentially “Sure, it might be a dump, but it’s our dump.” Yes, the luxury boxes added in 1996 to entice the Raiders to return from Los Angeles, had destroyed any sort of baseball ambiance that existed, but let’s be honest… it wasn’t that good to begin with. But tickets were cheap and you could basically choose your own adventure once you got inside. Hey, you wanna slide past an usher and sit in the good seats near the dugout? No problem. You feel like getting rowdy and mixing it up with the bleacher creatures? Go right ahead. Heck, if you felt like having a quiet night out with your lady, it was usually wasn’t difficult to find an empty section or two in the third deck that could function as a romantic hideaway. If only I could’ve figured out to a way to recreate John Candy’s picnic with Ally Sheedy in Only the Lonely during an A’s game, I could die happy.

Fast forward 10 years later and things have substantially changed for both franchises. The A’s closed off the Coliseum’s upper deck and have been in a holding pattern of mediocrity for the last few years. Meanwhile, the Giants have produced exciting young players like Tim Lincecum, Pablo Sandoval , and Buster Posey to help propel them to the World Series. The corporate grip on AT&T Park also seems to have loosened a bit. If only Brian Wilson weren’t so obnoxious, I might’ve considered jumping on the Giants bandwagon for the playoffs. Instead, I’ll be pulling for the Rangers and their manager Ron Washington who was an Oakland fan favorite during his time as a coach for the A’s.

Well, I just had to check because if Minnesota can hold on for a while in the playoffs, this is bound to happen – the lowest recorded October temperature for Minneapolis is 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Wonder what that does to your slider? What does Joe Mauer look like catching in a parka? Do they make strap-on cleats for snow boots?

I’m not worried about the fans. Living in Minnesota means it’s going to be cold. They’ll bundle up, stuff a few hot dogs in strategic places and replace the beer with hot hard cider. But fielding a hot grounder with your mittens on is something they don’t teach in Spring Training. I feel kind of sorry for the boys of summer. I’m sure nobody asked them if they’d mind playing the World Series in ear muffs. Still, I’ll be tuning in and wondering – is my TV on the fritz or is the real snow I’m seeing on the screen?

Is anyone else shocked when they actually have a very positive customer service experience?  What happened to the days of “the customer is always right”?  When I pick up the phone to call my local cable provider, a store or just about anywhere, I prepare myself to be completely underwhelmed.  How sad is that?!

Are companies finally realizing that competition is fierce in these tough economic times?  Are they realizing that good customer service is really the lifeblood of a long-term, sustainable business?  I hope so!

We typically hear our friends, family and/or co-workers complaining about the BAD customer service.  Well, I am officially committed to spreading the word about  about GOOD customer service when it happens!  The whole positive reinforcement thing, ya know?  So, here goes…

I bought a pair of Simple Shoes (www.simpleshoes.com) a few months ago.  Having tried many pairs on, I know they typically include a pair of alternative shoe laces in the box (maybe a fun color or pattern).  I noticed that the pair I settled on didn’t have the extra laces, so I figured I would send an email to their Customer Service team through their website requesting some spare laces.  Within a day or so I received a polite, non-automated email from someone at Simple seeking a little bit of clarification and asking for my mailing address.  Within a week I received an envelope in the mail containing a nice note and an extra pair of laces.  I was actually shocked!  The folks at Simple get it!  Not only are the shoes comfortable, but they gave me one more reason to be a loyal, repeat customer.  It seems so SIMPLE, doesn’t it (pun intended)?!   

What does this have to do with Fathead?  Nothing, except for the fact that we definitely see the value in offering excellent customer service!  

Every client. Every time. No exceptions. No excuses.