Since I have spent the last few days verbalizing the maddening level of frustration with Victory I thought I would explain why I feel Costco is the exact opposite.

For you guys without a Costco in your town, it is basically an upscale version of Sam's Club. (I'm a member of both.) Warehouse, discount shopping. With 5 kids, a Great Dane and an English Bulldog this format fits my lifestyle perfectly.

As I get older, I lean towards quality. My nod goes to Costco because they offer stuff that seems just a step above Sam's. Nothing major, just enough. After a few years of being a Costco member, we had a discussion about them at work.

One of the guys said "Have you heard about their lifetime customer satisfaction policy?"

I said, "No, what does that mean?"

He said, "Just what I said. Lifetime. You can walk in there with something you bought years ago and get a refund, no questions asked."

"What about a receipt?"

"Don't need one. Tell them approximately when you bought it and they will look it up in the computer. If it's in there, you get your money back."

"You mean, go back and get the current model, if they still carry it?"

"I mean you will get your money back, tax and all."

"Bull."

He said, "Try it."

I had a set of outdoor solar lights that were about 3 years old and about 1/3 of them were burned out. I threw the whole set in a box, drove to Costco, walked up to Customer Service and plunked it on the counter.

The girl behind the counter smiled at me. "What have we got here?"

"Hi, I bought these sometime around spring of '03 and they are starting to burn out. Just wondered if I can get a refund."

"Hand me your card, let's check....Spring of '03?"

"Yep."

She fiddled with the computer for about a minute then walked over to the other end of the counter. (Here we go, time to call a manager.) She fiddled with a computer at the other end for about another minute and the cash drawer popped open. She counted out $109.76 and walked back over to me. She counted out the money, handed me my card and said "Sorry about the wait Mr. Warren, this computer is slower than that one." I stood there with my hand out and my mouth open, dumbfounded. I wanted to cry. It was an epiphany. She stood there with a knowing grin on her face and we both knew that she had just blown me away. I stood there staring at her, then my hand, back to her. She just said "Anything else?"

"No thanks." I turned and slowly walked into the store. "Wow." I proceeded to spend that money plus another $200 and it wasn't even a scheduled stop.

I have done this two other times: A 2-year old pressure washer and a 2-year old stainless BBQ grill ($500). Never a receipt, always the same result. (Now they put the money on a Costco gift card.) To say I am a convert for life is the understatement of the century.

This mentality does not come from my local store. It is a corporate culture. I will get this treatment from any Costco in the country and it starts with the attitude of the very top guy. Do some research on this company and you will see that they are the model for everyone else to emulate. Then check out their stock history. I am obviously not bringing them to their knees with my refunds.

This is the reason I am so hard on Victory management. Say what you want about suppliers, shippers, corporate secrets, stock options, whatever. The bottom line is this whole ordeal is occurring because Tom Tiller has created a code of silence. He is afraid of the lawyers, the accountants, the Board of Trustees, the shortsighted stockholders and anyone else who thinks that admitting a fault and taking care of it is a sign of weakness. He's all about blowing the horn of his latest roll-out but he clams up like a mouse if there are any problems he may have to admit to.

Lots of companies make great products. I want the experience to match the product. So far, when the guys at work ask about Victory I get a knot in my gut. Get a backbone and play it straight with the customers you have tried so hard to convert. You might be surprised at the loyalty. (Not to mention your stock prices and bottom line.) If I got blown away over a set of lights imagine what I'd feel over a $22,000 motorcycle.

Do I really think Tom Tiller reads this stuff? No. Do I think anything will change? Not likely. Like I've said before, I have a whole new set of expectations.