Loading Why (seriously) I sent a real pumpkin through the mail and how it got me a free laptop computer…why I did it…and how it can change your life.
What I am about to tell you is completely true. The only thing that has been changed is…well nothing. I have blacked out the first name of one person to protect their privacy. And, if you download my free report from below you will actually see a picture of the laptop and an email screen shot of the price I got for it when I sold the new laptop on eBay. I will also send you a link to the letter I actually sent.
In other words, I will prove to you that this is a true story but also explain how these concepts can change your life. :)
But back to the story.
In the summer of 2006 I bought a laptop at an electronic store named Fry’s. It was (and still is, even more so now) one of my favorite stores with tons of neat electronics and other cool toys. I went in there to buy a laptop as my old laptop was pretty getting very old.
I selected a Compaq laptop and, for the first time in my life, I bought the extended warranty. I had never done that before because normally, at least in my opinion, extended warranties are not a good deal. However, this time I wanted
absolutely no hassles.
So…fast forward to the spring of 2008. My laptop was not charging correctly. I took it into the service department at Fry’s and told them the issue. Fry’s then sent the laptop into their repair center after some rather curious and interesting behavior on their part. (the letter you will see when you download the report will talk more about this!).
A few months later I was notified that my repair was rejected. The issue was that it had a loose power connector but Fry’s was claiming that there had been a liquid spill. I talked to Fry’s and saw very poor evidence of a liquid spill and was not happy at all with how I had been treated. There was no receipt of the work that had been done, no “proof” (I’m kinda big on that) the photo that Fry’s was showing me was in fact from my laptop, and quite frankly when you put anything underneath a microscope it looks ugly. (try it sometime).
Alas, after talking with them more I was not going to have my warranty honored. I picked u p a comment card and went on my way thinking about how disappointed I was and how the business owner needed to know about this. A few weeks passed and I had decided I was going to write a letter to explain my situation. But I knew I needed something to stand out and actually get the attention of the person who was going to be reading this. And I mean, really get it.
Well, autumn was right around the corner so I decided to send…a pumpkin! Yes, a pumpkin. Off to the grocery store I went and I purchased a pumpkin. I wrote the letter that explained my situation, how I was treated, and everything else. I made a case that, as president Randy Fry should want to know what is going on in his company and that if I was serious enough to send a pumpkin to get him this message, he should understand how much money he was going to lose over the years.
I put the letter in a clear packing slip and attached it to the pumpkin. Off it went, and the people at the post office had a huge smile that day!
Several weeks passed and then I got a call from the local manager at Fry’s. She said (paraphrased) Mr. Wenger”…um, we received your letter and we want to make this right. Please bring in your laptop. If I am not in, have them call me on my cell phone and I will come in personally.”
So, I did take it in a few days later and dropped it off. I was just wanting to have it repaired since I had paid $200 for the extended warranty, and I had NOT spilled water on the keyboard (I pointed out that water on a keyboard was bad, and even if I DID spill water (which I didn’t) it would NOT cause the charging connector to become loose.)
Several days later the phone rang and the lady told me that they were giving me a brand new laptop…for free. I was somewhat surprised that I was getting a free one, but after I started thinking about it I knew why I had gotten the free laptop.
It was because I had done the following:
- Made a good point/case to the right person
- Did it in the right way
- Got their attention
You see, imagine this scenario right here….
You run a business and your secretary or someone comes in and says…”Bob, you are NEVER going to believe what we just got in the mail.” The whole office is talking about it, and you know this person who sent the pumpkin may be crazy is probably crazy 
, but you also know that if they are THAT serious to send a pumpkin in the mail, at their own expense, then that person will probably be telling other people about the problem or service he or she receives.
Now when you download the report (hint hint) and you get the link to see the letter I included you’ll see that the letter was polite and completely reasonable,–which was the key. I wasn’t rude, and I did not threaten them, I simply made a good point.
So, after I got the new laptop what did I do? Well, I then sent another letter to Fry’s commending them (and the local store manager) for such great service and making me happy. I told them that they had made a wise decision because I was going off to the store then and there to buy some more equipment — that I would have not purchased if they would have not kept me.
The lessons here are immense, but let me spell them out.
1) I got attention of the right person – nothing happens without this. The greatest message is lost if people don’t receive it.
2) I provided a compelling reason for them to listen to me
3) I spelled this out in a simple format
And what about Fry’s Electronics? Well, they showed how smart they are because I have told a lot of people about this story, and think about how much business and positive PR that has generated for them. Tons! And they kept a customer for life and therefore saved a lot of money in the long term.
So there you have it. To see actual photos of the computer and a screen capture of the eBay email (I forgot to capture the ad and it expired since then) that proves all this is true, simply click on ‘Subscribe’ below and you’ll see it in my free report.
-Matt
p.s. oh, and people asked me why I sold the laptop. Well, I had boughten a new one since I was out of commission and I had to have one. This one is a Dell, and I’m really happy with it. But I’ve bought TONS of things at Fry’s since then and will continue to shop there for life because I know they will take care of me. In fact I am now friends with the store manager and whenever I go in there I make sure to tell her hi!