Final Impressions Trump Overall Customer Experiences

Sunshine Rent A Car kept me waiting for a ride at Orlando International Airport, Westgate Vacation Villas wouldn’t just let me check in and find my condo, and Southwest made me jump through hoops to get a boarding pass.

Yeah, these three companies had my blood was boiling during my trip to NCDM. But I’d have no problem doing business with them again, or referring them to a friend. Each left me with great final impressions, whether they were interactive or inactive experiences. And that’s how you build customer loyalty.

I got the cheapest car rental I could find on Orbitz. It was through Ace, which must have been absorbed by or become Sunshine at one point. After waiting more than an hour for its shuttle bus to arrive (it had been in a minor fender bender) I felt a little at ease. Then later that night I looked at my keychain to see a bobby pin wedged into it. Nothing a little Purell couldn’t handle I guess.

But the car was a great ride, and they were genuinely friendly and engaged in conversation when I had to wait 20 minutes for a shuttle to bring me back to the airport. So I’ll forgive.

Now Southwest – I couldn’t get a boarding pass when I checked in and was told to hurry to the gate to get one (never easy when you have to wade through the security line). And there was no one at my gate. When I found a gate with someone at it, I had a hassle. But then, when the clerk’s computer froze, he went all out for me.

He had-wrote a seating assignment on my non-boarding pass, and let the woman checking passengers in who I was, what the situation was, and that I was legitimately allowed to be on the flight. Again, a great ending to keep me coming back.

Westgate obviously is in the timeshare selling business. And though I used an RCI bonus vacation deal, I was still subject to a harassing seven-step process from checking in to getting my keys – despite my repeated pleas to give me my keys and get me a map so I could check out my villa and pick someone up at the airport.

So how did they win me back? The villa was clean, and they left me alone, as I had requested.

So if I ever need a place to stay in Kissimmee again, I’ll be back.