My Experience with Team BeachBody Customer Service

I want to share my experience with the folks over at Team BeachBody customer service.  Whether you have a great, good or bad experience, people tell someone else so they know what to expect when they are considering who they are dealing with.  Word of mouth is extremely powerful and can change the course of a company's success or failure.  And so after having dealt with a situation, I would like to pass along my observations and recommendations.

I am currently enrolled in a monthly supply of a product from Team BeachBody called Shakeology since the beginning of September.  In my opinion and the professional opinion of dozens of doctors and thousands upon thousands of other customers, Shakeology provides amazing health benefits.  My first full month of using it I experienced the benefits made in the claims the company advertises.  I blogged a post back in September about how Shakeology Acts like a salad and tastes like a dessert.

My plan was to use the shake to replace my whey isolate protein powder and the multi-vitamin/mineral supplements I've been taking as part of my healthy diet, with no extra out of pocket expense.  Only there's been a HUGE problem.  I've not been able to drink Shakeology for over a month!  Reason being I haven't received my 30 day auto shipment to my new home address in British Columbia.  In the beginning of October I called and notified Team Beachbody of a new shipping address, but it was already too late.  They'd already sent my second shipment to my previous address.  However, customer service said they'd simply mail me a package to my new address and the residents at the old address could simply return it to sender.  Sounds like a simple thing doesn't it.  Well, the package was promptly returned in the postal mail while I awaited the shipment of Shakeology to arrive at my new address.  Only it never came.  The weeks have gone by and I'm still waiting.  I thought well maybe it got lost in the mail system, or the Canada Post system is really slow, or maybe it got hung up in customs.  Who knows.  Last week I sent an email to Team Beachbody.

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 Customer By Web Form (David van der Leek)11/03/2011 06:17 PM It has been weeks since I talked to a representative at beachbdoy to have my shakeology order sent to my new address and still my order hasn't arrived. Please confirm the order was shipped.  The previous auto ship order that was sent to my address in Alberta was received and immediately returned to Beachbody.  It is extremely disappointing and frustrating to have such a lengthy delay in having the product shipped and received to my address in BC. Please contact me ASAP to confirm delivery of the shakeology auto order. I hope that this is not typical of the kind of experience customers have with shipping to Canada. I may have to reconsider the use of the product if I cannot receive it in a timely manner.

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So fast forward four days later and this morning I received this response from Customer Service.  Someone didn't use a spell checker before sending out the response below.  LOL

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 Response Via Email (Valeria Dominguez)11/07/2011 08:36 AM Hello David:

Thank you for contacting Team Beachbody!

We Apologize for the delay in your order. This was an error on our nehald we had the incorrect postal code, so your order never was shipped out. We have corrected the postal code and have send it to the correct address today at 7:35 AM as of yet we do not have a tracking number, as soon as we do we will email you the information. We appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter, please accept a box of protein bars as an apology for our error. Here is the order number for the bars 10792398 This order was shipped out to: my new address

For any questions or concerns please contact us via email at coachrelations@teambeachbody.com or toll free at 800 240 0913

We wish you are having a healthy day!

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Well, that was a very nice gesture wasn't it?  It did raise a couple of concerns.  First, the order for the October auto shipment to my new address was NEVER shipped.  Why?  Because they didn't have the correct postal code.  Hmmm....how difficult would it have been to email me and ask for it, or pickup the phone and call?  Never happened.  Second, I've never ordered any other consumable products from Team Beachbody and wasn't particularly interested in the Protein Bars.  No one called or emailed to say, "hey we made a mistake on your postal code and need the correct one.  In return, we would love to be able to send you some extra product as a way to say thanks for your continued support as a good customer.  Would you like to try some Protein Bars or would you prefer something else?"

Hey, I'm really not trying to be difficult or a pain in the backside.  So I picked up the phone this morning before going to work and called Customer Service.  A nice voice answered after a brief number of rings.  For the life of me I don't know what the heck she said after she rattled off her robot greeting.  I actually thought for a moment I had reached an answer machine!  LOL  Anyways, as soon as I realized I had a live person on the other end I explained the situation.  I said I wasn't interested in any products other than the Shakeology and asked to have the goodwill of Protein Bars removed from the order and replaced with a bag of Shakeology instead.  She was very quick to reply that it wasn't possible to substitute.

When I mentioned how even though I'm not an official BeachBody coach because I live in Canada,  I do have a strong following of friends on Facebook and here at my Blog, where people will be interested to learn about my experience with the product and with Customer Service.  I expressed again my desire to have an additional bag of Shakeology instead of the Protein Bars.  Customer Service put me on hold while she went to talk to a supervisor.  Upon coming back on the line about 5 minutes later, her tone had changed drastically to rather uncaring and was very short.  I was told that the supervisor has authorized your request.  I thanked her for the service and said I was satisfied.  The call ended.

I came home this evening to find a message on the answering machine.  Hmmm...strange, I don't recall giving her my phone number.  Anyhow, the message was from Customer Service, only this time the tone was very warm, very friendly, very caring and with much concern that I was completely satisfied.  I was assured that I would be receiving my original auto ship order for October, plus an extra free 30 day supply of Shakeology, PLUS the Protein Bars, and that I could use them or give them to friends.  This was totally unexpected and I think that Customer Service went above and beyond to make sure that a customer was completely satisfied.  For the most part I am.  I'm only frustrated that I will still not have my Shakeology for at least another two weeks while it makes its way through Canada Post.    It's thrown a real monkey wrench into the my healthy eating plan as I have been without my supplements, and I NEED MY SUPPLEMENTS!!!  As a result, I've put off my intense workouts until such a time as I receive them.

Well that's my experience with Team BeachBody Customer Service.  In a nutshell, they made a mistake in my address.  Nothing was done about it even though they knew there was a problem until I called wondering what happened.  I think they could do a better job of being more customer oriented and focused on customer needs.  They certainly did make me a satisfied customer when they agreed to my request, but went above and beyond to also include the Protein Bars.  Companies need to be very aware of their customers needs and concerns no matter the size of the company or the products being offered.  Good customer service is hard to come by, but on the whole I think Team Beachbody is doing a tremendous job at a tremendous value for people who are seeking the very best in healthy alternatives.  People make mistakes.  Great people resolve them in a timely and fair manner.  Thank you Team Beachbody for providing good customer service today.  I don't expect you to be perfect, but I did expect you to fix things when they went wrong, and you did!  Kudos!!  DECIDE, COMMIT, SUCCEED!

Acts like a salad. Tastes like a dessert!

So here's the thing, I'm a huge skeptic when it comes to certain health claims.  I get even more suspicious about the product by the way in which a company markets their product. There are just so many businesses that want you to spend your dollars on what they claim is THE BEST thing since sliced bread that will turn your health around. I've avoided these marketing schemes like the plague and instead have chosen to focus on the very best whole foods that money can buy, as well as a mutli-vitamin/mineral supplement. I've also been investing in my health by buying and using a quality whey isolate protein powder as a way to up my lean protein intake. As seen by my results so far, it's proven to be a very successful combination in regaining control of my health and fitness over the past 6 months. I'm living proof that if you want results and are willing to put in the exercise work and eat healthy, you can have amazing results.

There is a catch though. I've had plenty of time available to me to achieve my goals, but some people are not so fortunate and don't have the luxury of hand preparing every single meal to maximize their nutrition. I on the other hand have. However, I just don't think I'm getting my money's worth on spending about 120 dollars a month on my current supplements and protein powders. They've been a huge asset to my health, but what if there was a something that offered even better nutrition, tasted great and I didn't have to eat huge bowls of fruits and vegetables to equal the nutrition, for about the same as what I'm spending now? What if I could replace just one of my daily meals and still have a way to fully nourish my body with super nutrients for optimal health? What if I could save myself some time and a little money while at the same time losing weight, reducing my cravings, increasing my energy levels and stamina and have a healthy digestive system? I'd be all for that!

Many people struggle with finding the right solution that works for them to lose unwanted pounds. We all know we need to eat foods that supply our bodies with essential nutrients, natural whole foods that maintain the vitamins, minerals and fiber, but that are stripped from highly processed foods. I have gone out of my way to boost my health by consuming superfoods such as maca root, goji berries, bee pollen, amaranth, quinoa, green tea, chia seeds, spinach, pineapple and blueberries to name just a few. I've been adding these superfoods to my home made green smoothies which I consume daily when I can't have a sit down meal or the time to prepare and cook a meal. My smoothies have made a huge difference in my diet and improved my health. Our bodies need ingredients it can easily absorb and utilize. It needs the combination of digestive enzymes, prebiotics, antioxidants, phytonutrients, essential amino acids and many other ingredients that frankly I am still lacking despite my very best efforts to eat clean. Even eating all the servings of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains every day does not supply me with complete nutrition for maximum performance. I want the best octane fuel for the race of life! 

Imagine combining 70 natural ingredients into one drink! There's no way possible for me to do that in my vita-mix blender, no matter how hard I were to try, and I throw a LOT of ingredients into my home made green smoothies as you can see. I recently tried to get my brother to give my smoothie a try and he couldn't even get one swallow down! He said it tasted like grass! Even my coworkers mock me and make fun of my smoothies! LOL!! However, I know it's healthier than processed and fast foods, and I've probably grown accustomed to it gradually as I've added more and more to my smoothies. But wouldn't it be great if you could get over 70 natural ingredients into one smoothie that acts like a salad but tastes like a dessert! I want a health food that has proven results! I want it backed by good solid scientific research! It must leave me feeling full and satisifed and contain only the best of superfoods that are avaialable on the market at a fair price. So I've decided to put it to the test.

Like I said, I'm a huge skeptic and don't lightly make decisions when it involves my money and my health. But an investment with proven results is certainly something that deserves my attention. I'm also very careful about what I might recommend to my friends and family. I've put off for six months giving this product a fair shake, no pun intended. LOL! But I'm at a point where I want to take my fitness goals to a whole new level and my body is going to need the perfect combination in order to transform into a lean mean machine. I need this food to help build muscles, improve my skin and hair, support a clear mind and mental clarity, improve my mood and reduce my cravings. I need this food to reduce the free radicals that cause oxidative damage.  I want to lower my chances for degenerative conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, dementia and arthritis. I need this food to boost my immune system, help fight disease and sickness, to slow down my aging process and detoxifiy my body. I need this food to help protect my body from stress and create balance in my hormone and immune system. I need this food to supply better intestinal health and aid my digestive process. I need this food to be easily broken down and increase absorption of nutrients. Is there any such shake, meal or vitamin that can make this claim and back it up with proof? YES there is! I'm willing to put it to the test when a claim as substantial as that is made. Just check out these supplement facts on this nutritional label by clicking the image on the left for full size.

This shake is going to replace my whey isolate protein powder and the mutli-vitamin/mineral supplements I've been taking as part of my healthy diet with no extra out of pocket expense. I still plan to continue making my green smoothies, but this additional smoothie shake is likely going to be the healthiest meal of the day. I have not been paid to endorse this product and I receive no compensation by way of any affiliation. I am simply passing along to you my interest in a healthy product that may be of benefit to you in your own health journey. If this doesn't transform my health in 30 days, I'll be getting a full refund, even if the bag is totally empty! I can't go wrong putting it to the test. So, I've decided to try it for just one month, I'm committed to that and now let's see how far I'll succeed with Shakeology from BeachBody, a dietary supplement. It will replace one meal each day at a cost of about 4 dollars per meal. Pretty inexpensive if you ask me when you consider the cost of junk processed foods that contain so little nutrition. You don't have to look far when you leave your home to see the fast rising trend of people being overweight and obese from poor diet and nutrition. Make no mistake my friends, you are what you eat and drink!

Most people want to have better health. Most people would like to do something positive for themselves and that will also help others and make a difference. If you keep on eating what you've been eating, you'll keep on feeling and looking the same with no change. I want to be a success story that you can follow, and get inspired and motivated to make a positive change in your own life. Take that first step to freedom of body and mind. Your chance is here and I hope you will take it! It all starts with a decision. Decide, commit, succeed!