This post was originally published on LinkedIn.

Just over three years ago, my better half and I were on our annual trip to the vacation paradise of GRAN CANARIA. We had a rental car, and since the weather was a bit gray, we saw our chance to take a little drive on the north side of the island.

After driving some winding backroads, we ended up at a small square in Arucas. There we had a perfectly OK lunch while watching tourists outside the church at Plaza de San Juan. Before we could pay, the waiter asked if we wanted to try the local rum. We agreed, and both sipped from the small glass set before us.

"Good?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Me too."

We asked to see the label again, and saw it was named the same as the small town we were in:

Arehucas. Funny.

Without thinking much more about it, we did what holiday folks do and continued our vacation in the usual way. Beach and sun and umbrella drinks and all that.

When departure day finally arrived, and we were rushing through the Duty Free as usual, we couldn't help but notice a HUGE shelf full of bottles we seemed to have seen before.

THERE IT IS!

Funny, we thought. Fun to have a LOCAL rum from Gran Canaria. It doesn't get more exotic than that.

We quickly grabbed a bottle and rushed to the checkout. 55 euros. It's worth it, we thought. After all, we get a good story with the purchase.

Well, that story turned out to be better than we thought. And a bit worse.

When we finally decide to TASTE this rum, about a year later, we get a real surprise... It tastes... Different. And not particularly GOOD.

Well, there we have fallen into the classic holiday trap, once again.

On that note:

Why MUST it be that EVERYTHING you bring home from vacation tastes DIFFERENT here at home in Norway? Is it something to do with the climate? The alcohol content? Or the lack thereof, as such? Good thing we didn't buy a case this time.

Mental accounting. Check.

But the story doesn't stop here. Rather, this is where the story begins. Because it is TWO YEARS LATER, specifically just a couple of months ago, that it starts to get fun. That's when we have a visiting couple (who also enjoy the vacation paradise of Gran Canaria), and we sit chatting and sharing tall tales.

It doesn't take long before the rum bottle lands on the table. I want to hear their opinion of the contents.

"No, this didn't taste very good. Have you considered complaining about it?"

COMPLAIN? About a rum bottle I bought at the Duty Free in Gran Canaria THREE years ago? Why not. They probably have a website or something.

And they did. On Monday, February 5th, I fired off an email.

The next day, February 6th, I get a reply.

"We apologize for the incident. To give you an answer and a solution to the problem, we would need some additional information."

...and then they ask me to share the batch number and some other details. Sent.

Then it took almost 3 weeks before I get a reply. I remind them.

This time they respond immediately:

"First of all, sorry for the delay. Unfortunately, we have been trying to find any bottle from 2021, but we have no product left from this batch. This is the only complaint we have received about this product so far (...) In order to offer you another solution while we find out what happened with this batch from 2021, we have considered sending you a new bottle."

New bottle???

This can't possibly work, I think. You can't just send a bottle of liquor in the MAIL??

"Normally, when it is just one bottle there won’t be any problem, we have never had problems by sending one. Anyway, please, let us know when you receive it."

This was March 1st.

Two weeks later, I get a pickup slip in the mail. You know, the old-fashioned kind that ends up in your mailbox, with your name on it. It says I need to bring ID.

I walk down to Rema 1000, and show the pickup slip on paper while I look for my driver's license.

There's DEFINITELY going to be a customs fee, I thought quietly. There MUST be.

"Here you go!"

"That's it?"

"Yes?"

"Well then."

There's probably a proforma invoice or customs paperwork inside the package, I think. There has to be.

To my great surprise, I find just a neatly wrapped bottle of rum. The same kind I bought at the Duty Free in Gran Canaria.

Loco.

Dear Arehucas distillery:

MUCHAS GRACIAS por una experiencia de cliente absolutamente maravillosa.

(it's me saying thanks for a SUPERB customer experience, but you probably figured that out)

Looking forward to tasting this one!

DISCLAIMER:
This is NOT an alcohol advertisement. Rather, this is post number 3 in a series about GOOD customer experiences, this time involving a company that happens to be a rum producer.

More to come!