Digital Home Thoughts: Sling Media Makes My Day

I just had a great customer service experience with Sling Media regarding my Slingbox and I thought I'd share it with you all as it is a great example of going above and beyond for your customer. I own what is now referred to as a Slingbox Classic (it was just called a Slingbox when I bought it since it was the only product they made).

A few days ago, the power supply started emitting a loud buzz and was a bit warmer than normal to the touch. My Slingbox worked fine, but I preferred to be on the safe side and unplugged it and went online looking for a replacement part. As I've had this device for over three years, I wasn't overly hopeful that I'd be able to easily get a replacement and certainly did not expect the warranty to cover it. But to my surprise, their tech support pages said that they sell replacement power supplies, remotes, etc for all of there models for $19.99, not cheap, but not overly expensive either.

So, I called in today to order the replacement since I figured I was WELL outside of the warranty period. While on the phone, I mentioned to the representative that the one I had worked, but had started making a loud buzzing noise and was a bit warmer than it should be. He asked to put me on hold for a minute to talk to his manager. He then connected me to his manager who said they were going to refer it to corporate to be replaced free of charge as a safety issue. He also asked for the serial number for the power supply so that they could get the issue logged. Before ending the call, he said I should expect a call from corporate shortly to make the final arrangements. Given that it was already after 5 PM, I really did not expect a call back until the next day, but within 30 minutes I received a call from corporate to confirm all of my information. He apologized repeatedly and made sure I'd unplugged the power supply for safety reasons. Finally they said, they'd be shipping a new one out no charge and that I should receive it the day after tomorrow.

When I called in I was fully prepared to pay for a replacement. I've had the device for over three years and knew I was well out of warranty. They knew I was already prepared to pay for a replacement, but they were more concerned about safety than making a quick $20 or even selling a whole new device (had a replacement not been available, I would have ended up buying an entire new Slingbox). Every company should strive to provide this kind of service, so kudos to the fine people at Sling Media.