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Black Diamond, Great Customer Service | Jackson Hole Wyoming, WY United States | 02/22/08, by powderjunky

I recently decapitated my Fritschi Diamir Freeride binding while skiing out in the God made playground known as Grand Teton National Park (click here to read the trip report).

Needless to say, I was a little stressed about the thought of having to buy a whole new binding set up, as all my funds are tied up in my new online worm farm venture . So I called up Black Diamond to see if they could help me out at all.

I figured that if the binding was only a year old I might have a good chance of getting a replacement. However my binding was a couple years past its prime and about as beat up as Nancy Kerrigan.

When the Black Diamond customer service rep asked me the color of the binding I cringed. My binding was white, like my teeth used to be before I discovered fluoride was a hoax, which translates to a couple of years old as the new models are black.

I figured once I told him the truth, that would be it and I would be on my own. However, to my surprise he responded with a concerned yet anxious-to-help tone and said, "Hey no problem, we will send you out a refurbished binding, free of charge!" I couldn't believe it.

I was so excited I got up and danced the monkey, the mash potato, and the macarena. Because I have an attention span of a butterfly, I just got around to mailing it to the Black Diamond headquarters, which is located in the same mountain as the Thundercats HQ. Not too soon after I had paid for the postage I realized I had forgotten to include what size binding I require to fit my hobbit-ish feet.

So I called them up as fast as I could. I gave them the missing piece of information and then inquired about faster shipping, as I am a greedy and impatient bastard. The Black Diamond rep assured me that faster shipping would not be a problem. As he was making the changes to the order, he commented, "Hey you know what, we can do second day air, no charge!" Again I couldn't believe it!

I started dancing again. Then I remembered that the Black Diamond employee was still on the line. I gracefully thanked him and we parted ways.

Later in the day while on my thinking pot, I had an epiphany. Every company claims to have a great product but I think what really makes a product great is the customer service that comes along with it. At some point, things are going to break, defect, disappear, malfunction, implode or be subject to evil robot attacks. When a company, like Black Diamond, backs up their products with great customer service it speaks volumes and secures me as a loyal customer.

I now eagerly await the arrival of my binding, and with the money I saved I decided to splurge and take my girlfriend out to taco bell. Lucky girl!