Use Mabel's Labels for your Label Needs

I don't intend to use this blog as a platform. It's really just to keep friends and family up to date on the Benner family in general and Jackson in particular. However, I think that all too often people will complain about poor service, yet forget to pass along stories of excellent service. My feeling is that we, as consumers, have a lot of power - by using our dollars, we can tell companies that we like their products or their company culture. By withholding our dollars, we tell them that we don't like their products or services. This is why I believe that we should choose our products and our sellers of those products carefully. To that end, I absolutely must sing the praises of a company called Mabel's Labels. The story is after the jump if you want to know why this company is so wonderful, but suffice it to say I got excellent and personal customer service. If you need labels for anything (not just clothing), I cannot recommend Mabel's Labels enough: http://www.mabel.ca

I go back to work on Monday, and Jackson's day care requires that all of Jackson's belongings be tagged with his name. I could take a marker to all of his clothes and things, but there's a reason I type over 100 words per minute - it's because my handwriting is illegible. I mean, worse than a doctor illegible. I was also thinking about buying a label maker, but they're expensive. And I was also thinking about making my own iron-on transfers for Jack's clothes, but that means I'd have to go to the store and buy the transfers, then print them and we don't have a printer, and then cut them all out blah blah blah.

When I Googled "labels, clothing" I got a result for Mabel's Labels. They were also positively reviewed on one of the product blogs I read (MomFinds.com). I went to their site, looked at their products, and decided to buy. The only problem was that, with a 1-2 day production time, I'd need to pay for overnight shipping to guarantee the labels would arrive before Jack went to day care, and overnight shipping would have been $38. I bought the labels and upgraded to Priority shipping, which guaranteed 3-5 business days, but that didn't guarantee that the labels would arrive in time if production and shipping was on the outside of that span... When I got my confirmation email, included was a customer service email address. I got an idea... I sent Customer Service the following message:

Hi Mabel's Labels!

Your labels come very highly reviewed! I'm looking forward to receiving them. We plan on using them for Jackson's belongings as required by his day care. As a new mom returning to work, it is reassuring to know that yet another thing is taken care of.

Unfortunately, we could not pay for expedited shipping to guarantee the labels come in time. We did upgrade to priority shipping, which will ensure the labels arrive within 3-5 business days, but factoring in the 1-2 days for production, I'm not sure the labels will arrive by Friday, the last day before Jackson goes to day care.

If there is anything you can do to have the labels arrive to us by Friday 6/26, I would very much appreciate it.

I've attached a picture of Jackson to melt your heart. I'm not above manipulation and bribery... :-)

Truly yours,
Nicole Benner
and Jackson

Not only did I get a response from an actual person, the email was extremely personal and friendly:

Hi Nikki,

Oh my goodness! What an absolutely adorable picture! That is truly the cutest, please-iest, baby I’ve ever seen and I’ve shown it off all around the office. Everyone else here agrees, too!!
:)

So, you win!! Heehee … you’re absolutely right: Jackson melted our hearts, and I’m upgrading your shipping to the Fed-Ex overnight service. Your labels will be printed tomorrow, shipped out at the end of the day tomorrow, and they should be arriving Wednesday morning.

(Jackson, sweetie … please let your Mama know that this kind of bribery only works once! Hahaha!)

We hope you love your labels and enjoy putting them to good use!

Smiles,
Deanna Tondreau
Mabel's Labels

I would have accepted a "We'll do our best." I am so touched that Deanna went above and beyond by upgrading our order. But it gets better! Today, Jackson and I spent the day at Momu and Poppy's house. When we got back to the Manse, we had a note from FedEx that they had tried to deliver our package but, because we weren't home, left us a note instead. We could go to pick up the package at the nearest FedEx office, or we could wait until Thursday for delivery. We'll be home tomorrow, so no biggie. But waiting for me was an email:

Hi Nikki,

Just wanted to let you know that Fed-Ex tried delivering Jackson’s labels this morning, around 10:51 EST but no one was there to sign for the delivery, so there should be a pick up notice left for you on your door (or possibly in your mail box?).

You can call the Fed-Ex customer service line at 1-800-GOFEDEX (1-800-463-3339) and quote tracking number xxxxxxxxxxxx to discuss possible delivery or pick up alternatives.

Smiles,
Deanna Tondreau
Mabel's Labels

How awesome was that! And in my opinion this is the textbook definition of "Above and Beyond." Deanna could have left it with the purchase, but she really wanted to make sure I received the labels. This kind of service and personal attention is so amazing, especially when you are more likely to hear stories of getting shafted by companies instead.

I can't wait to get the labels for sure, but it almost doesn't even matter if the labels are great. I'll use Mabel's Labels for all of our labeling needs no matter what... and I really encourage anyone who could use clothing or "stuff" labels to use them. They sell more than just labels for kids' clothing and stuff; they also have stationery sets and labels for organizing your household stuff.