I had a very pleasant consumer experience recently in the new apartment. The washing machine was burping water onto the floor of the patio. Despite all DIY efforts to unstick what had gotten stuck from the machine’s pipes, we eventually had to call the manufacturer, Haier, for a service call. The number was a Beijing phone number, which was still manned on a Friday evening (January 1st). Saturday morning, a Haier repair fellow came by and fixed the machine. Took him about an hour.

Later that evening the Haier-Suzhou office called. Did the technician arrive? Did he successfully fix the machine? Did he charge just the 50RMB that appears on the service slip? (It is common practice here to discuss one price, charge something higher, and record an even higher price on the invoice – which some find useful when expensing items and services).

Talk about flabbergasted. I found myself grinning from ear to ear with the revelation of a true customer service experience in China. After having suffered nothing but subpar service and no after-service support for years here in China, the experience was like a breath of fresh air.

Then, to cap that bit of customer satisfaction, the Beijing service center called. Is the washing machine still working? Were you satisfied with the service? Is there anything else with the Haier brand in your home we can fix?

If indeed other flagship Chinese conglomerates are striving and actually achieving world-class levels of excellence in production and service in their HOME market, then Western producers need beware in the international marketplace.

Chinese companies with international-brand aspirations are smartening up.