Wag Hotel takes care of me (and my dog, of course)

Dear Wag Hotel,

It's hard for parents of two small kids to be spontaneous and even harder when they also have a young puppy that just got all her shots but has yet to be boarded or housebroken. However, you made it possible. Thank you.

I have to admit that you weren't my first choice. I had wanted to try Fog City Dog when the time was right. My friend recommended it to me, and it's closer than the place I boarded my last dog (rest his soul), Pet Camp. 

But it was already Friday at 4pm when we realized we had a problem. Earlier that day, my husband made last-minute reservations for a romantic getaway at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay. I arranged for my mom to watch the kids. And our little puppy? Well...we hadn't worked that part out.

So I called Fog City Dog. They said that they wouldn't take a dog without having first submitted to a temperament test. Nothing could be worked out today. I said I was desperate and wanted to know if she had any advice for me. Silence. No "um" or "uh," just silence. Did she hang up on me? I didn't know, but I would have appreciated something like, "I'm sorry. I don't." Anything.

I hung up and called Pet Camp. The phone system gave me every option, the very last being the opportunity to talk to a real human. However, the phone just rang and rang before going to voice mail.

Finally, I thought of you. I remembered driving by your hotel a few months ago and then looking you up on Yelp. The reviews were mediocre, but the fact that you positioned yourself as a hotel gave me the strong impression that you might cater to my wishes. Perhaps you would go the extra mile to help me out.

And you did, not by bending over backward. You didn't need to; your policy simply accommodated busy people like me, who don't usually have it together. So by 5pm, you had my dog, my credit card number, and my gratitude.

You made me realize that high-end pet hotels are not about dogs; it's about the owners or humans or whatever you want to call people like me–the kind of folks that pay for doggie day care, among other services, because we want it all and are willing to trade price for the privilege to keep all our balls in the air for another day. 

Thus, the real customer experience here is not around luxury accommodations for my dog, although that's an important part of your brand story. Instead, it's about luxury accommodations for my crazy, unplanned life, which needs more getaways, not less. 

So thanks again.

-joanie

Dave from Allstate makes be feel like I'm in good hands

Dear Dave,

I haven't spoken to you in awhile, which I like. You don't try to sell me things all the time. 

That doesn't mean we don't talk. There were plenty of occasions, like that time another driver backed into me and left the scene. She didn't realize that she hit me, and it caused some initial concern as my claim became disputed. In the end, everything worked out just fine.

There were the conversations about coverage levels and the difference between term and permanent life insurance. You told me what to consider (rather than which to choose), and I felt like I could ask you almost anything. You're like an avuncular genie in a bottle who appears only when I need you.

A few weeks ago, my State Farm agent, who handles my home insurance, began actively trying to get my auto insurance business. I called her about a home alarm discount, and she took it as an opportunity to expand our relationship. That's to be expected. 

She ran some numbers. Her auto insurance policy is more expensive–and includes a curious and rather significant "monthly service charge"–but she says that I'll save overall when you include a discount for having both home and auto insurance. That put me on the fence and got me thinking, but it wasn't enough to win me over.

So I haven't gotten back to her, which is hard because she's pretty aggressive. I've been busy, too, and maybe a small part of me had been avoiding her since I'm risk-adverse and changing insurance is a risky thing in my book. 

I imagine insurance is largely a fickle business and loyalty is hard to come by. No matter what you do, some people will simply follow the money. My guess is that you assume people are on the fence all the time. That means you must be on your game every day. 

For me, however, the money's not enough. Neither is liking you. Ultimately, I'm interested in trust. When I find myself in an accident, am I going to have peace of mind? Am I going to know everything will be okay?

In your case, I have been in accidents and I did have peace of mind. We have a history that makes me confident. In my mind, the question before me is this: Am I willing to trade that trust to save a couple dollars over the course of a year?

The answer is no.

Yesterday I received my new 6 month policy from you, as well as an insurance bill. This morning, I received my first email from you. (It was kind of like the time my dad sent me an email but without the all-caps.) You said that you valued my business. From any other service provider, those would have been empty words. I actually believe them coming from you.

I suspect that people like me make up the small but stable core of your business. I've been with you about fifteen years, and that's got to be an indication that I'll likely be around another fifteen more.

This isn't a question of customer loyalty but rather personal values, which only become clear over time. 

-joanie