This is a pretty good PR story for HTC, actually. While many of us always harp on HTC for having terrible marketing, and rightfully so, this is a bit of good news on HTC’s part. A Redditor, by the name of TweaktheGeek, had posted in /r/android about his issues with Samsung and how his Galaxy S4 had actually melted. He got in touch with Samsung, and they informed him that they’d send out a replacement unit as well as a box to mail back the damaged one. Well about a month later – or fast forward to this past weekend – TweaktheGeek still hadn’t gotten his replacement Galaxy S4 from Samsung. That’s when one of HTC’s Product Managers, Leigh Momii, jumped in. Some of you may know her from Twitter.
After a short conversation, and a very civil one at that with some great feedback, Leigh offered the user a free HTC One M8. Basically Leigh asked the user if he was overly attached to his Galaxy S4 or the Galaxy line, which he said he was not, then she asked if it was due to customer service, etc. It was a really friendly conversation. Leigh even stated, “Thanks for that feedback, we’re always keeping our ear to the ground and listening to what customers are saying both about our products and our competitors.” However, Leigh did have one condition for giving TweaktheGeek that free AT&T HTC One M8, and that was if Samsung ever does get his replacement out to him, he has to donate it to a charity of his choosing. Which I think is fair, and definitely a condition that all of us can agree too.
So good guy HTC swoops in to save the day. So marketing isn’t all about the commercials, or publicity stunts or buying a terminal at an airport. But taking care of your customers, and even potential customers. I’m sure HTC has won over a few new customers from this ordeal, while Samsung may have lost some.For those interested, the Reddit thread is in the source below.