Every now and then, I run across some example of “above and beyond” customer service that inspires me to send in positive feedback. Recently, I had such an experience with the Otterbox protective case company and wanted to share it with you.

Shortly after the original iPad came out, I purchased one (and a second for a gift). I fell in love with the Apple iPad case which let me prop the device up for watching videos, or for use as a keyboard stand. Unfortunately, I dropped my iPad enough over the years I had it that it received some minor damage to the metal corners. That Apple case, while fantasticly functional (still my favorite), was not very protective. I was still able to sell this “lightly damaged” iPad for about $250 when I got rid of it, but I expect I could have gotten more if it did not have drop damage.

When I purchased a refurbished iPad 3, I wanted to ensure I could get a higher resell value later on so I looked in to protective cases that were actually protective. There were a few I considered, but it was seeing one in person at (I think) an AT&T store in a local mall that made me choose the Otterbox Defender. I was ready to buy it from the very helpful AT&T rep after he assured me prices were pretty much the same everywhere because no on discounted them. But, when I walked next door and saw RadioShack sold the same case for $10 less, I decided maybe I would shop around for an even better price since clearly discounts were to be had.

Amazon won:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007IV7KRU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Today, this $90 case can be found for under $60, but I don’t recall how much I paid for it when I ordered it on January 1, 2013. It certainly is a bulky case that makes things heavier, but it provided the protection I needed.

The thing about Otterbox that makes this special is their customer service. During my first year of using it, I dropped it and broke the corner off the plastic cover that is used to snap on and protect the screen (when not in use). My fault, my bad. I wrote Otterbox to see how much a replacement would cost and they sent me one under warranty. Excellent.

A bit later, my plastic screen cover had enough scratches (leaving my glass iPad screen flawless) that I wanted to rpelace it. I wrote in to ask how much this would cost, and explained my unit was out of warranty. To my surprise, they sent me a replacement screen cover. Excellent.

Shortly after this, the rubber flap that covers the dock connector finally broke off. After two years of daily use, the material had just given out. I wrote in this week to ask how much it would cost to buy a replacement. Once again, Otterbox is sending me a replacement under warranty.

I am very impressed with how Otterbox has treated me. I have purchased four Otterbox items over the years (though this is the only one that has ever been used enough to need replacement parts), and I will continue turning to them when I need a protective solution due to their outstanding support.

Thank you, Otterbox.