A tale of 2 companies

I've got a lot of things to think about when I move. Two of them are my mobile phone, and my SodaStream. I've got a tri-band phone with Virgin, which works in the USA - it's a Nokia 6310i, and it's great. It's a phone, you can talk to people with it (oh, and text them). It plays Snake. And the battery lasts forever, which is all I want in a phone. (Well, not forever, but about 10 days).

So, I wondered if I could take my mobile, stick a new Virgin mobile SIM in it, and use it. So I emailed Virgin Mobile, and heard, well, nothing. At all. Ever.

I've also got a SodaStream, which is a great invention. It's a mystery to me why they don't still sell like they used to. They still market them as a way of making crap fizzy drinks by adding sticky concentrates to fizzy water. But I never use it for that, I just make fizzy water. (It seems an extraordinary waste that lorries are used to take water to Sainsbury's, and then I carry it home in my car, when lovely water comes out of our taps, and my SodaStream puts fizz in it. Anyway, I've got a Fizz Online sodastream machine, and a few years ago SodaStream were taken over by SodaClub, who are an American company. I wondered if I could take my sodastream with me, and get refills there. I emailed Sodaclub customer support, and they sent me an email back, which said:

You mention you have a Soda Stream...I wanted to provide you with some valuable information regarding Soda Stream product availability in the US.  If you still have your old machine...not all machines are compatible with the Soda Club products currently available in the US and Canada.  The only models compatible with the US products are the Soda Club/Soda Stream Design, Jet, Centenary or Edition as these machines are capable of accepting a 110 liter carbonator that is approximately 3-1/2 inches in diameter.  We do not carry the smaller carbonators in the US...we only carry the 110 liter carbonators.

Because parts and products are not available for the Soda Stream line in the US or Canada we do offer a trade in program that would entail you purchasing a new Soda Club package from our website or a local retailer.  After you receive the order for the new package you would then contact our Customer Support Center to learn how to return your old Soda Stream machine for which you will receive a $40 merchandise credit upon receipt of the old machine at our warehouse. We are only able to honor one credit per new machine package ordered.

If you do not have a compatible machine, when ordering your new starter kit we highly recommend one of the Value Packages as this will provide you with an extra carbonator to have in use while future refill orders are being processed and shipped to you.

Ordering online is fast and easy!  Simply go to our website and click on "order a soda maker or check pricing" which is located in light blue along the left hand side of our homepage.  Once you have placed your order, delivery will be made within 7-10 business days.
 
Alternatively, a complete listing of trade shows we will be attending as well as authorized dealers and retailers can be found at the following link: www.sodaclubusa.com/wheretobuy.htm. We are always looking for new dealers and retailers to carry our products if you know of anyone interested in this please do not hesitate to have them contact us.

For any further questions, feel free to contact our Customer Support Center at 800-763-2258.  Our representatives are in the office Monday - Friday 9am- 5pm EST at the number above.

Thank you
Soda Club Customer Support 

Now, how fantastic is that? In my humble experience, most companies never reply to an email to a support type email address (like, for example, Virgin Mobile), or when they do, you get a stock answer from a robot (possibly a real robot, possibly a person acting like a robot), which doesn't answer the question.

(Incidentally, that's not the first time I've been impressed by my dealings with SodaStream/Club - another time my SodaStream stopped working, so I rang them, on a freephone number, and they sent me a bit to fix it, with a spare.)

Sodastream - good for the environment, lovely and fizzy, and nice people too.