An anonymous reader emailed in the following tip:
I’m currently pregnant with my second child and I knew I wanted a carrier for this baby. However, after looking around, I knew I couldn’t spend over $100 on an Ergo or Boba.
I remembered one of your readers commenting one time about writing to a company to ask for coupons, so I wrote to both Ergo and Boba asking if they ever ran specials on older models, returns, or older colors. Ergo was nice, but replied with a no. Boba’s rep said they ran a black Friday special, but if I was willing to write them with reasons I wanted a Boba carrier, they would be happy to put my name in a “lottery” of sorts for a free carrier. He said they read all the emails and the reps decide on a winner.
Figuring it was a long shot (but still so nice of him to offer!) I sat down on my lunch break the next day and wrote how fussy my first daughter had been, but baby wearing was not a big thing then. I was honest and said I loved the carrier they offered, but simply couldn’t work it into my budget. I was blown away when a little over a month later, an email came through that I had won the carrier!
I figured a basic model in black would arrive to my home, but I was shocked when they contacted me and asked that I pick whatever model carrier and color I wanted. I picked a lower priced carrier in a unisex pattern so I could pass it onto a friend when I was finished with it. I called the company to thank them and give them my choices. I was so very thankful.
Not even four days later my carrier arrived in the mail, with a special gift of a matching carry bag AND a Boba mini in the matching pattern — they said it was so my daughter could carry a doll around just like mommy! So I guess it really can pay to write to companies and ask for special offers!
Laura says
I contacted the makers of my favorite (at the time) planner to ask where I could find their next year’s calendar since I couldn’t find it online. The rep said she would “send me a sample.” I wasn’t sure what that meant, but a little while later I received a brand new planner for the next year for free! I was super excited. 🙂
Julie says
There are still wonderful companies out there. It’s so nice to hear about another company that goes out of it’s way for people.
Judy says
I often write to companies to praise or complain about a product or services I received in their store or restaurant and have received free food, discounts or coupons. They often express thanks for me taking the time to notify them.
Brandi @ Savvy Student Shopper says
That’s so sweet! I’m happy for you 🙂
Delia Keppel says
That’s awesome!! I won an Ergo last fall and immediately lent it out to a friend who had a baby!! It was supposed to be the “classic”, but because I am heavy I asked if there was an extender and they mailed me the more expensive model for larger women. So great!
Meagan says
Boba is an excellent company! They have top of the line customer service. I got one of their sleepy wraps when I had my first child. The wrap developed a small hole near the label. The company contacted me (I had registered it) after 6 months to see I liked the carrier. I mentioned the hole and they offered me a brand new one in a color of my choice! I couldn’t believe it! I always recommend Boba knowing what a quality company it is!
Kasey@AllThingsMamma says
LOVE stories like this of generous reps and companies!
Lisa@ Only the Fields says
I actually cried when they said they sent one for her daughter! (Of course, I’m 34 weeks pregnant right now so may be a little hormonal. 😉 ) What an awesome company!
Jenny W says
Love it – I’m a big fan of babywearing and love to hear when other moms find a good way to do it! This will encourage me to consider them in the future when I recommend a baby carrier!
stephanie @ Housewife Mama says
I love Boba! They sponsored a review and giveaway on my blog and I use mine all the time. They were a wonderful company to work with!
Linda had a little Lamb says
I know that if you write to companies because you are satisfied or dissatisfied with their product, they will usually send you coupons or more. I wrote a yogurt company after tasting their new flavour and I didn’t really like it. I wrote them and told them that although I was a fan of their products, their new flavour wasn’t a hit with me. They sent me a letter thanking me for my input and they sent a bunch of coupons for their yogurt.
I also had a friend years ago write to a big name skate company about how her husband’s skates were dull. I think she was asking where she could get them sharpened. Instead, they sent her husband a brand new pare of skates. If you take the time to write, they will take the time to respond in a good way. 🙂
Cathy says
That was very awesome of them!
Susie Francis says
I’ve heard a lot of stories like this often with food, a recent one I read was a woman contacting a big bread retailer saying how much she enjoyed the product they sent her a few coupons just for the kind words!
SM says
What a great story! I’ve been trying to decide between a Boba and an Ergo, and this story clinched the Boba for me.
Mandi @ Messy Wife, Blessed Life says
What a great story! I have a Boba and I love it, but now I even have warm fuzzies for the company too!
Kate SDDS says
That is an awesome company!
Elizabeth says
I contacted Playtex when my twin girls were moving on to sippees, I had a bunch of their 2-handled sippee cups, but my son had chewed up the spouts, I didn’t want to throw out the cups, and they sent me 4 new lids (my friend called too, and they sent her another 4), saved me a ton of $$….I was so thankful..we still use them and I’m passing them on to friends and telling them to call….think of all the saved cups out of the landfills…
Julie @Logger's Wife says
I did the same thing with Playtex. I asked for coupons instead of new lids as I wanted different cups anyway. They sent me a coupon that I could use on the cups and I also asked about a coupon for a diaper genie so they sent me a large coupon for that.
Dawn Burkhart says
Nestle was excellent to me with their Carnation Good Start formula. I was unable to nurse 2nd and 3rd kids (twins). He would but she wouldn’t. Then she had problems with the breast milk, so the doctor recommended trying formula. I started calling companies asking for samples which most sent coupons, some sent a trial size, except for Nestle. They connected me to some kind of nurse or nutritionist specialist. I explained the problem, she asked some questions, then signed me up for the coupon program and offered to send me a case of the special formula for a trial. I figured it would be “trial sizes”, but NO it was a case of full size cans and she sent two (one for each twin even though she knew it was only my daughter using it). From then on that’s what I used. I called, wrote, and emailed every company known to man for samples, coupons, free gifts etc. It never hurts to ask. I got bottles, gift packs, coupons galore, outfits, rattles, and more.
Heather says
What a great company!
kathy says
What a wonderful story and kudos to Boba!also how considerate of you not to choose the most expensive model. That says volumes about the kind of person you are. Best wishes and God Bless!
Luba says
I was thinking the same thing about choosing the least expensive model. That’s amazing. 🙂
Abbie says
Yep- they definitely picked the right person for this lottery! Great prize for great character. Congratulations!
Emily Adams says
What a great story! I love companies that actually think of their customers.
Precious says
This was a fabulous thing for this company to do.
Katie says
Actually, I can kinda see this happening. I always used cloth diapers for all my kids. When I first separated from my ex, I really couldn’t afford disposables, and the ones I had were wearing out really bad. One day I called a diaper service and asked them if they had any that they considered garbage, but would still be usable in a pinch. Explained my situation and offered to pay a small fee if they could do something for me. They didn’t seem entirely sure they could help me over the phone, and left me with “we’ll see what we can do.” A short while later, a big package arrived. They had sent me about 3 dozen “old” extra absorbent cloth diapers!
Debbie Bolen says
Some companies understand customer service and some done. This goes above and beyond great customer service. What a great advertisement for a company that is obviously worth doing business with 😀
holly says
what a touching story! when i won a boba in a giveaway 2 months ago, I felt like I won the lottery. my son is 2 and a runner and can tear out of my grip so my so and i have been really stressed out whenever we go places with him. the boba really changed everything. he likes to be up high and able to see. and I love being able to go to festivals, fairs, etc and the store without worrying about him running off. and i can go hiking again!! I wrote them a gushing love letter and they were so kind in their reply. I am a big boba fan.
Beth says
That is an amazing story! Sounds like a company that really cares a lot about their customers.
Lisa says
They have my business in the future! What a great story! Thanks for sharing!!
Keren says
Boba is awesome! Their 3G organic carrier is my absolute favorite soft-structured carrier. We have 3 children, and have used the carrier with each of them, and it has gotten a lot of mileage. Still using it almost daily with our 15-month-old.
While on vacation, the buckle of one of the fastener clasps broke (this was after 2+ years of continuous use). It was not a bad break, and the carrier could still be used. But it still concerned me, and their were no stores that carried the Boba carrier nearby. They rush shipped it to me, but the vacation company we were staying with had trouble getting it to us.
So, I asked them to ship one to us at home. It arrived less than 48 hours after I sent the initial e-mail, totally free of cost on my end. I was shocked to say the least!
Their products are well worth the money (I use hardly any other baby gear, so it’s worth it to us), and I would recommend them to any mom.
It is great to connect with companies with such great customer service. I had a similar experience with REI this week, as well.
Diane says
That is awesome and so kind of Boba! I love babywearing and it does help so much with fussy babies (and non-fussy babies).
Angela says
That is awesome! I also wrote to some baby companies and Dr. Browns sent me a package of their baby food containers for free since they did not have any coupons or baby bottle samples. It truly never hurts to ask!!
Anna @ Frugal For You says
All I can say is, “WOW!” It never hurts to ask.
I contacted Evol to tell them that I was excited to try their gluten-free products when they go on sale at my area stores. And asked them for some coupons. In return for my interest, they sent me 3 FREE coupons up to $4.99! So, they are one of those good companies to contact, for sure.
Jennifer Brown says
What a great story and I loved the part about you requesting a less-expensive model to pass it onto someone else. So a great gift can be two 🙂
Amy f;) says
That is so sweet! I just teared up! Thank-you for sharing!
Mona says
That is awesome!!
jennifer says
Wow! This is the coolest thing I’ve read in a long time. Good for you for reaching out and exploring the possibilities. We truly never know what might be possible. I love that you chose a unisex color so you could pass it on. When my son was a baby, ten years ago, we bought a Baby Bjorn with gift cards we received at a shower. It was very close to $100 then but so worth it.
Lana says
😀
Karina says
That’s awesome! I really like when companies stand behind their products and I like them even more when they do things like this!
Ruth says
Awesome! You will love it!
I’ve had my Ergo for over 5 years and it’s one of my best baby tools.
Jessica H says
What a blessing!
KM says
When I was pregnant with our baby boy, I e-mailed many different baby companies. I e-mailed one company asking for coupons on a diaper bag. To my surprised I was told that the company can send me an older diaper bag model for free…I was very thankful! So it never hurts to ask! 🙂
Amy says
Awesome! What diaper bag company was this?
KM says
Amy, the tag on the bag says “The Bag Collection”..the bag was sent to me from Canada. I googled a lot online trying to find out which companies are friendly in giving baby coupons. From my experience natural/organic companies were nice in sending samples and coupons. But diaper bag was definately the “bigger” item that i received for free for just asking.
Carly says
Sweet! It’s a very nice carrier too, I’m sure you will love it, I loved my baby carrier too!
Baby gets to be so close to mommy, they love it too! 🙂
Alicia says
This was very touching and happy to hear there are still some great and kind companies out there. Thank you!