This Costco Customer Service Experience Turned Me Into a Lifetime Member

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At this point, I've been shopping at Costco for roughly 18 years (which also means I've been living in the suburbs for roughly 18 years -- yikes). And while my shopping needs at Costco have evolved throughout the years, it's long been a favorite store of mine.

One of the reasons I like shopping at Costco so much is the store's commitment to customer service. When I buy products from Costco, I get the reassurance that if a given purchase doesn't work out, I'm not out the money.

But a few years ago, Costco really went above and beyond for me on the customer service front. And that only reaffirmed my love of the store.

Helping me through a travel-related snafu

In early 2020, I booked a cruise vacation for my family. It was a trip we'd spent years saving up for, and we booked through Costco Travel because we were able to snag a great deal on the package we wanted.

Well, you can probably imagine what happened next. Just a few weeks after booking our cruise, the world shut down due to COVID-19. And not shockingly, we were informed that our summer vacation was not going to happen.

Now you'd think things would've been pretty simple from there. Since our cruise was canceled, we were entitled to a full refund.

But at the time, the cruise industry was in shambles. Cruise lines were overwhelmed with calls from customers wanting their money back, and due to financial constraints, many cruise lines were delaying refunds or paying them out in installments. There was also the concern that some cruise lines would be forced into bankruptcy -- and that customers like us would lose our money through no fault of our own.

When I tried calling the cruise line we'd booked with myself to follow up on my refund, I had no luck. I couldn't reach a live person without waiting on hold for hours. And the one time I did get to speak to someone, I got nowhere. All they could tell me was that they were doing their best to issue refunds and that I'd get my money eventually. When you're talking about thousands of dollars, that's not very comforting.

Then I realized I could have Costco intervene on my behalf, so I reached out. Within weeks, I got a call back from a Costco Travel customer service representative saying that my money was on its way and that my refund was being issued in full. They took the time to solve the problem for me so I didn't have to waste hours, or days, following up. Since back then I was juggling a full-time job and remote learning for my kids, that was a huge source of relief.

A reason to love Costco even more

The experience I had with Costco Travel wasn't the first positive one in my history of being a Costco member. But it truly made me feel valued as a customer. And from that point on, I pledged to remain a loyal member of the store -- even if the cost of doing so increases.

My Executive membership at Costco costs $120 a year. With it, I enjoy savings on a host of products year-round and 2% cash back on my Costco purchases. But I also get the peace of mind of knowing that customer service has my back.

So if you're on the fence about joining Costco, know that you're probably not going to have the same customer service experience at any other store. And if you're thinking of booking travel through Costco, know that it pays to do so not just for the potential savings, but for the help you'll be privy to should things end up not going your way.

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