Fostering long-term trust through daily commitment

Our customers’ requests, questions and needs are our top priority. We make every effort to attract and retain customers, not only through our products, but also through our service – and our efforts are successful. According to a recent study from the German Institute for Service Quality (DISQ), our telephone customer service is in first place, and Tchibo was also ranked highly overall and in the other specific service areas examined in the study (internet, email, and shipping quality). But we are not going to quit while we are ahead. We know that we can only continue to justify the trust our customers place in us if we remain dedicated to them every single day. Therefore, we acknowledge errors, which we know we can never completely rule out, and do everything we can to rectify the mistakes that do occur and to avoid them in the future.

Our service promise

Regardless of which communication channels our customers choose, they can always count on Tchibo’s service promise, encompassing six criteria that guide our actions and which we regularly evaluate and adjust where necessary.

• Uniqueness
  We develop our products specifically for our customers, fulfilling top quality standards.

• Safety
  We have every single product inspected for safety and/or pollutants by at least one independent testing institute.

• A sense of responsibility
  We require and encourage environmentally and socially sustainable production conditions around the world.

• Long product life
  We place a three-year warranty on all technical products* as well as on every single zip used in our consumer goods. We repair defects within 14 days, exchange products or refund the purchase price.**
• Faster service
  Tchibo’s customer service is available on the phone, via email or by post seven days a week.
• Goodwill
  Our customers have an unlimited four-week** right to return items in all shops, where they receive a refund for the purchase price upon providing proof of purchase. In Germany, goods ordered online can be returned within 14 days*** without giving a reason.

*Valid for all products carrying the logo for a three-year warranty.

**Proof of purchase required.

***Only applies in Germany (a 14-day right of return is required by law in Germany).

Globally binding, in action worldwide: our service standards

Our service promise criteria form the basis of our service standards. These principles are binding for all our employees. Minor, individual variations in the service standards, especially in eastern European countries, arise due to national legal or competitive regulations or procedural conditions. Our customers can count on our service principles, which regulate how we handle complaints and exchange requests. We want to strengthen our customers’ trust in us and highlight our dependability by carrying out a number of measures.

Customer-oriented and unbureaucratic: Our service in our shops and online

Our shop employees have far-reaching authorisation to make decisions on complaints and exchange requests directly, personally, quickly and unbureaucratically, in the interest of our customers. Additionally, we provide a three-year warranty for every product costing over ten euro – one year longer than is required by law. If a warranty claim occurs, our customers can choose to have the item repaired, exchanged or refunded upon providing proof of purchase.

Tchibo’s service standards apply to all sales channels and can be viewed by customers online. Our customer service and Tchibo shop employees will be pleased to provide information on the services we provide within the framework of our sales channels. For example, products received through online orders can be exchanged in our shops if the customer prefers – a valuable service for many of our customers. Upon request, our ordering service will also deliver our products to a Tchibo shop of the customer’s choice, where they can pick them up later.

Our guiding principle: open, honest and transparent communication

Open, engaged communication is vital to us. For example, our customers and other interested parties can find worthwhile information on issues such as our quality and service online at www.tchibo.com/qualitaet. We also communicate bad news openly and honestly, such as when we promptly informed our customers about necessary coffee price increases at the end of 2010. We posted a letter about the price increase to our customers in shops and online in December 2010.

Ever more expert advice

Our consistent customer service philosophy not only encompasses communication, but also our employees’ expertise. We will only be able to fulfil our customers’ individual requests and needs if we make an effort to understand them and to communicate with them. Therefore, we began to enhance the customer advice skills of employees in Tchibo shops during the year under review, giving them the capacity to provide customers with a still higher quality of responses to their questions.