I have the usual gripes with cable/satellite/telecom company customer service like most people. However, I recently had an experience with DirecTV that left me feeling good about doing business with them.

Upon checking my latest bill, I was greeted with a message on my Account page: 3 months of Showtime for free. Score! OK, what’s there not to like about free premium programming right? But it wasn’t the free Showtime that made the experience great. Above that there was a line that read: Loyal viewer since 2004. I didn’t realize I had been a customer for so long. I appreciated that DirecTV was keeping track of that stat.

There was a feedback form next to the free Showtime graphic. I decided to send a “Thank you” note for the free Showtime, that I was enjoying my HD DVR, and a plea to not increase the monthly programming fees. I thought that this would just disappear into the Customer Service inbox ether. Needless to say, I started looking up Showtime programs that I could record. A few hours later I received this reply from DirecTV Customer Service:

"Thanks for writing. I see that you have been part of the DIRECTV family since 2004. I’m happy to hear that you appreciate the free SHOWTIME UNLIMITED for 3 months that we’ve added to your account as a free gift. I would like to personally assure you that your suggestion about not increasing the monthly fee is very important to us. We value your opinions about our service, so I have forwarded your request to DIRECTV management, who review every suggestion, inquiry and complaint for trends from our most important customers to determine what changes should be considered. Sincerely, Jhaney S. DIRECTV Customer Service"

I love how they not only responded to my note, but that they also reiterated that I have been “part of the DIRECTV family since 2004”. There is something “mom and pop shop” about that. That recognition of how long I’ve been a customer made me feel important. It’s such a simple little thing to do.