When Customer Service Goes RIGHT – The First Years MiPump

So, the back story goes like this.

I tried exclusively breastfeeding.

It did not work very well.. Gavin became extremely jaundiced just as we suspected he would, since his big brother did the same thing.  My husband and myself made a collective 2:00 AM-after-four-hours-straight-of-screaming-Gavin’s-eyes-were-turning-yellow-he-was-so-jaundiced decision to begin supplementing formula.

Immediate relief.

However, I was forced to begin pumping to supply breast milk to Gavin because he developed a preference for the bottle nipple as opposed to mine.

And to be honest, after the bloody mess of my nipples caused Gavin to spit up my blood several times, I wasn’t too upset about his new found preference.

So, I opened up the breast pump that I had purchased back when I was still on bed rest and having preterm labor issues- in September.  On our limited budget, I decided to spend no more than $100 on a quality breast pump that would be able to handle the load of pumping 5-6 times a day.

After carefully researching all of the options, I chose The First Years MiPump.

There it is, in all its glory.  It’s sleek, small, quiet and has a nifty little handle that allows you to pump both breasts with ONE HAND!   If you have ever pumped before, you understand the utter awesomeness of that feature.  The MiPump handled my pumping load like a champ and the handy bag that came with it concealed my pump when guests would come to the house!

Efficient and cute. 

Score.

So, fast forward 11 weeks and you will find me last week wondering where in the world my breastmilk supply was going.  I was pumping at the same time every day and was only getting 1/3 of my normal output.  After I would finish pumping, I still felt full and engorged.

I began to wonder if my pump was going bad.

I tested my theory by pumping the normal amount of time with the pump and then using my manual hand pump afterwards.

Sure enough, after 20 minutes on my MiPump, and after only about 1/2 ounce collectively was expressed, I used my hand pump and was able to express almost 4 more ounces collectively.

There was my answer, my pump had gone bad.

Dagnabbit.  

I immediately ventured to The First Years website and began hunting down warranty information for my pump.

Then there it was in bold letters:

90 day warranty..

I bought the pump on September 20.  It was now January 6.

NOOOOOO!!!!

I began formulating my case I would plea to The First Years when I called in.  I would beg mercy.  I would offer a copy of my sons birth certificate to show proof that although I purchased the pump in September, it did not begin being used until the very beginning of November.

Much to my surprise though, none of this was necessary.

When I called in, I spoke with an extremely friendly lady who was eager to help me.  When I stated that I had a copy of my receipt and could provide a birth certificate as proof of when my son was born, she calmly said “Ma’am that won’t be necessary.  We strive to get our moms through the first year of breastfeeding, so we will always extend the warranty on our pumps.”

I mean how awesome is that.

I wanted to reach through the phone and hug the lady on the other end!

I sure didn’t have an extra $70-$80 dollars to drop on buying another pump and if I were forced to use my hand pump for the rest of my breastfeeding experience, I would be throwing in the towel pretty early.

The lady on the phone walked me through a few steps with the pump itself to test it to see if it was indeed the pump that was malfunctioning.  She listened through the phone to a few cycles and instructed me to do a few things.

After it was all said and done, I was on the phone no more than 10 minutes.   She quickly took my shipping information and provided me with the information to return the faulty pump.

As it turned out, my poor posture of leaning forward had allowed some of my breast milk to back flow down the tubing and into the pump, causing the mechanical parts to break down.

As of today- yes a mere 5 days later, I have my brand spanking new pump and three new sets of tubing.

I could not have been more pleased with my experience with The First Years customer service department and warranty claim, handled through Tomy, and my MiPump.

A company that makes quality products, takes accountability for and remedies a problem when it arises and is pro-breastfeeding, tops my list of companies I will continue to do business with.

So, if you are looking to buy a breast pump or are interested in purchasing breastfeeding supplies, bottles or other products for your newborn, infant or toddler, I would highly recommend The First Years.

With Lots of Love,

The Unexpected Mother

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated for this post.  This is my honest opinion of this company and I have written this post on my own accord.  The First Years is not aware of this post and have not asked me to nor coerced me in any other way to write this post.  This is merely my account of my experience with them and I wanted to share this fantastic experience with my readers.