My first shopping experience at L.L.Bean was sometime in 1996, when I purchased a winter jacket from their catalog. There were two choices in the fasteners for the hood, and I picked the one that didn’t work out. I called them a few weeks later to ask if I could get the other fasteners, and to ask how much they’d be. Their answer floored me: they’d be free, and they’d also be shipped to me for free. Wow.

Furthermore, the customer service rep said that if I ever didn’t like the jacket or it started to come apart on me, I could send it back for a refund or an exchange. I still have that jacket, and can’t bear to part with it. It’s just as sturdy as the first day I got it, although the colors have faded a little with time.

Over the 4th of July weekend, we dropped by the L.L.Bean store at Tyson’s Corner to get some winter boots. As I was about to try mine on, the clerk offered me a brand new pair of heavyweight socks to try with the boots, so I’d get a better idea of the fit. He literally pulled them off the shelf, broke apart the packaging, and handed them to me. Wow.

It just so happened that I found the medium width a little tight, and was worried it might bother me later. No problem, the clerk said. I could order the wider size along with the regular and try them both out, then bring back the one that didn’t fit right. I said I wasn’t comfortable bringing back merchandise that I’d already worn, but he said it would be no problem, that the right fit mattered more. Wow.

I ended up getting the heavyweight socks I’d tried with the boots as well. They fit so nicely, and the quality exceeded my expectations. Ligia ended up getting the same model boot in her size, and heavyweight socks to go along with them as well. Not only that, but we bought two more pairs of shoes.

While we were there, we saw a beautiful high-back sofa, but weren’t sure what finish we’d want on it. (We’d been looking for just such a sofa for the longest time.) The store had only one finish in stock. No problem, said L.L.Bean customer service when we called. We’ll send you out some swatches for free, and you can call and order the sofa when you’ve decided. Wow.

Calling L.L.Bean is an epiphany onto itself. You don’t get robots or prompts. You just get a live, friendly, helpful human being, usually after just a few rings. What’s more, they already know who you are when you call. If you’re calling from the same phone number you’ve listed in your L.L.Bean account, their CallerID system pulls up your account for the customer service rep. Wow.

When you put together fantastic customer service and beautiful, well-made products that last, you’ve got one company that deserves our business. If they keep on like this, L.L.Bean can count me as a lifetime customer.