Madonna and Maui Jim: Lessons in Customer Care

I was prepared to share business lessons based on a positive customer experience I recently had with Maui Jim sunglasses. Then I read an article shared by my friend Scott McKain about Madonna’s disastrous performance at Caesar’s Palace. 

The article appeared in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. As I read about Madonna’s flop, my brain kept drawing comparisons between customer care done right by Maui Jim and done wrong by the aging singer. 

Maui Jim Got it Right

I own three pairs of Maui Jim sunglasses. For several months, two of those pairs were broken. Travel and outdoor activity had taken their toll on my spectacles. 

For months I put off repairing the glasses because of the anticipated hassle of doing so. I even considered discarding the broken shades, but they’re too nice for that. 

So, I grudgingly logged onto Maui Jim’s website. What happened from there was sheer customer satisfaction. 

The website was easy to navigate. It didn’t require me to set up an account, create a password, enter my mother’s maiden name, or identify how many images contain mountains on some ridiculous security page. 

I simply filled out a repair ticket, paid via credit card, and sent the glasses to their facility in Peoria. (Yes, Maui Jim is headquartered in Illinois. If you’ve never been to the Peoria, it’s remarkably similar to Hawaii…OK that’s not true, but anyway.) 

Within minutes of submitting the repair order, the company sent me a confirmation email. Upon receiving the glasses, they sent another email confirming receipt.

Two days later, Maui Jim informed me the repairs were complete and the glasses were in transit back to me. No six to eight week wait. No, “the parts are back ordered.” None of the typical bad customer service you and I have come to expect from companies we do business with. 

An additional bonus: My favorite sunglass company didn’t hound me with email solicitation upon having my email address. We’ve all been there, right? Do one internet transaction and some companies stalk you online for the rest of your life! 

Maui Jim understood my objective (fixed sunglasses) and delivered with their performance.

Madonna on the Other Hand…

I wasn’t in Vegas for Madonna’s “Madame X” concert but the reviews are beyond bad. Seems the Material Girl has forgotten her fiduciary responsibility to her paying clientele. 

At the Colosseum where fans bought expensive tickets to hear her sing, she mostly talked. She reportedly berated the audience too. She spent so much time not singing, some audience members shouted, “Shut up and sing!” 

500-plus ticket buyers walked out on the artist, partly because she showed up late. Not just “fashionably late,” either. Late. She took the stage at 12:15 a.m. for an 8:30 p.m. show. Madonna dismissively informed her audience “a queen is never late.” 

Does this sound like a service provider who respects her customer’s time and investment in her product?

Turning Customers into Fans

We all work for other people’s money, whether we sell sunglasses, songs, or anything else. When we make it easy for those people to move from customers to raving fans, our business thrives. 

Are you making it difficult for your customers to do business with you? Do you respect your clients’ time by being prompt? Do you appreciate the dollars your audience invests in your product? Do you provide the performance your clients are paying for or the performance you feel like delivering? 

There’s a saying in showbiz: “you’re only as good as your last show.” With that in mind, count me as a Maui Jim fan. Madonna, not so much. 

Damian Mason is a keynote speaker, author, and podcaster on the subjects of business, agriculture, and food. Find him at www.damianmason.com