I came across this postI Heart Zappos (via 37 Signals) that stood out as a company that gets user experience.

A customer ordered a few pairs of shoes for her mother from Zappos and for one reason or another needed to return them. Various issues cropped up, lost packaging slip, illness, out of town, caused the shoes to sit around an not be returned within the 15 day window. In the meantime, sadly, the customer’s mother passes away.

Zappos emailed the customer to inquire about the shoes since they had not yet been returned (customer service plus #1). The customer replied and informed Zappos that her mother has just died that the shoes would be sent back as soon as possible. Zappos then emailed back to say they have arranged for a UPS pick up of the shoes so the customer wouldn’t have to take the time to do it herself (customer service plus #2).

A few days later the customer receives a large bouquet of flowers with a card that read from Zappos (customer service plus #3).

Not only did Zappos ignore company policy by excepting the shoes after the return window expired, they made a personal connection with a customer. Zappos understands why experience matters.