Stolen identity and service with compassion

  Let me start by saying that I almost NEVER boast about much of anything.  I am a pretty laid back guy and take life as it comes at me.  However, I recently had my identity stolen and it has me pretty angry.  I always try to find the good in any situation and I always try and put things into perspective and strive to be as analytical as possible when forming opinions.  I guess that part comes from playing chess.  Anyhow, when this happened (for the second time now) I had just ordered an item from House of Staunton.   As usual, they shipped it almost immediately after they received my order and PayPal confirmation.  They even sent the tracking number right away.  This is pretty typical of most companies these days.

  What is not TYPICAL is the service and kindness they extended me once my bank froze my account.  The bank did this because we had identified erroneous charges on our account.  Therefore, all transactions pending were cancelled in order to protect us.  As it turns out, our info was stolen and used to purchase a ton of stuff.  Needless to say, House of Staunton got an email from PayPal stating that the funds were “denied” by the bank.  Shawn contacted me and was very professional and courteous.  I explained what happened and told him that whoever got our info had drained our account and it would take time to get the funds back.  I informed him that I would be happy to return the item immediately since I wasn’t sure when the funds would be back in the account.  First off,  Shawn showed compassion for what we are going through, and told me to worry about my personal business first and worry about the item later.  He traded several emails with me, with little mention of the item,  pertaining more to our personal plight and his/their concern that a transaction related to the internet could have been the gateway for the THIEF to get our info.  By the way, it wasn’t their transaction that made it possible to get our info.  It actually came a few days earlier.

  So my point in writing this is to just voice my admiration for the people out there who still show compassion to others and who put the human side of business before money.  The House of Staunton has always dealt with me in such a way that I would treat others.  They went the extra mile this time and I think they deserve a “shout out” for that.  They put the human element before the almighty dollar.  They aren’t in business to ship out stuff and have the payment pulled back.  They don’t have to be as nice as they have been…. But they have !  They are an American company and I believe they deliver an amazing product.  I own several of their chess sets, and while I am VERY fond of what they offer, I am also very satisfied with other companies with related products.  I don’t represent them as anything other than a VERY happy customer.  The difference between H of S and other companies is that they still know how to treat people.  I am grateful for that because the other companies I have had to deal with through this little debacle have not been so kind and understanding.  Some other companies have been complete jerks about this and have demanded immediate payment, etc, etc.  These guys have gone the extra mile once again.

Thanks Shawn and crew,

Jim M.

Thank you.  I don't like to brag about companies but these guys have stood out so much during this whole ordeal.  Most people are being complete jerks, asking for immediate payment and such.  It is a breath of fresh air to deal with someone like this.