Do you think large online retailers are hard to reach and lack compassion for customers?

Amazon’s generous response to a Star reader’s request may change your mind.

A man living near Caledon, 60 kilometres northwest of Toronto, needed help with his Kindle 3 e-reader. It’s an older model, released in 2010 and now discontinued.

“I purchased 52 books from Amazon to read while waiting to die of leukemia at a hospice. I’m not expected to live more than 30 to 45 days,” wrote Paul. (I’m using only his first name to protect his privacy.)

“The books never made it to my Kindle 3. Some are in my Apple desktop. Others are who knows where?

“After three days and five hours of discussion, Amazon suggested I try the U.S. site (Amazon.com). But I dealt with Amazon.ca, which cashed my payment. I would like to read the books while still alive.”

At the U.S. site, I found an address for media inquiries (amazon-pr@amazon.com ), where I forwarded Paul’s email and contact information.

Kaan Yalkin, an Amazon spokesman, wrote to me before 9 a.m. the next day, promising immediate help for Paul.

“My team and I have loaded a brand-new Kindle with all of the books he purchased and I’m going to try to deliver it to him in person,” he said.

Here is what Paul received shortly before he entered the hospice:

● A Kindle Paperwhite with WiFi and 3G Internet.

● A new leather case to go with his Kindle.

● A $150 account credit to buy more books.

● A $50 gift card for Amazon.ca

“Paul was overwhelmed and pleased to have a new Kindle to read during his last days of life,” Yalkin said. “He plans to donate both devices to the hospice after his death, so other patients can use them.”

A 90-year-old widower, Paul had been in touch with me after his home phone service went down last fall. Rogers said he’d have to wait two days, but he didn’t want to be without a way to reach 911 in a crisis.

I wish customers had an easier time getting through to large companies. Syd McKay was upset with Capital One about unauthorized billing.

Last July, a $79.55 charge was posted to his Platinum MasterCard from a sushi restaurant in Edmonton.

He spoke to Capital One on Aug. 6 and said the charge wasn’t his. He had never been to Edmonton.

“They called it fraud, cancelled my credit card and issued a new one. A $78.55 credit was posted to my account on Aug. 18,” he said.

But the mystery charge appeared again last December. McKay spoke to a manager in New Brunswick, who said he’d get a credit as a goodwill gesture.

Then, he spoke to the security department in Toronto. He learned that the vendor had persuaded Capital One the charge was McKay’s and he should be held responsible for it.

“Is this the normal operating procedure?” he asked. “Capital One had my mailing address, email address and phone number, but made no attempt to contact me before posting this unauthorized charge in December.”

He felt it was patronizing and unprofessional to have a legitimate refund to his account referred to as a goodwill gesture (a favour to the customer).

Sandra DeCarvalho, a Capital One spokeswoman, promised to have the executive office’s solutions team review his case.

Soon after, McKay got a call that satisfied his concerns.

“Capital One took responsibility for the error and explained how it was made. An additional credit posted to my account exceeded my expectations,” he said.

"While we can’t go into specifics due to privacy, this was resolved to the customer's satisfaction,” said Capital One in a statement. “We encourage all customers to closely monitor their transactions and advise their card issuer if they notice anything out of the ordinary when disputing a charge."

Here’s a question to readers: Do you have tips on how to escalate your corporate complaints, moving them to a higher level to reach the real decision makers?

Please pass along your success stories, which I’ll use in a future column. Contact me at www.ellenroseman.com

Ellen Roseman appears in Smart Money.

Ellen Roseman appears in Smart Money.

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