Boingo Apology Kudos!

I was so happy to see this apology letter from Dave Hagan, Boingo’s CEO and the way his note began, with…  “Let me start this off with a big, fat apology.”

Let me start this off with a big, fat apology.

We’re deeply sorry (and more than a little embarrassed) about any email you received over the weekend that included a database dump in the beginning and a message that your Unlimited account has been canceled and converted to AsYouGo status.

Please be assured that there’s been no change to your account. If it was Unlimited, it still is. If it was AsYouGo, it still is. If it was closed, it still is. The email was meant for internal testing only; the system basically decided otherwise and erroneously sent the test template to a large pool of our customers.

Please disregard these emails and accept our humblest apologies. If you would like additional details, please check our blog “The Hotspot”, which we will continue to update as we gather more information.

Thanks so much for your understanding during this awkward moment in email marketing history. We would never intentionally inconvenience you in any way and strive every day to deliver the best in customer service.

Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to help.

Sincerely,

Dave Hagan
President and CEO
Boingo Wireless
boingo.com

Boingo Customer Care Is Available 24/7
From North America: 1.800.880.4117
From the UK: 00.800.8804.1170
From Japan: 010.880.8804.41170
(Prefix for Softbank: 0061, KDD: 001, or NTT: 0033)
From locations outside of North America, UK, and Japan: 00.800.2646.4646
Email: support@boingo.com
Active Account Info: my.boingo.com

In his note, Dave followed three of the four key elements of apologizing well.

1. He responded swiftly
2. He communicated with humility, remorse and the human touch. Then went on to say that they are embarrassed about their email error.
3. He accepted accountability and calmed me down.

The only thing he didn’t do was extend some type of olive branch, which is the fourth action I consider to be part of the “peace process” between a company and a customer when things go wrong.   He did offer a line to call, etc…but it was a bit passive.  All in all, I’d give the effort a solid B+.

What do you think?  Want to know more about apologizing well?  Here’s a complete article that outlines it all for you. Enjoy!  Jeanne