Excellent Customer Service

I've found a company that provides competent, timely, and useful e-mail tech support. It's HomeLink, who I contacted because I'm trying to get my new car's built-in system to activate my garage door opener.

I sent them the following message:

My garage door opener is not HomeLink compatible. To work around this I purchased, installed, and tested a universal receiver, model 635LM (from LiftMaster). This is a rolling code receiver. The button on the 635LM properly operates my garage door, so I know I installed it correctly.

I hoped I could program my car to operate with this receiver without buying a separate hand-held transmitter. Is this possible? The instructions I've seen always involve using a hand-held transmitter simultaneously with a HomeLink button.

I've tried the programming sequence without a hand-held transmitter, starting from the step of pushing the program/training button on my receiver, but my car's HomeLink system never makes any progress. It stays in a slow blink the whole time.

Is it essential to purchase a hand-held transmitter in order to program my car's transmitter? If not, how can I program my car without one?

I was careful to emphasize the fact that I correctly installed the universal receiver and that my question was specifically about whether additional equipment was required. I was nervous about saying anything that might provoke an unhelpful form-letter reply that wouldn't address my question at all.

I submitted my question late in the evening. To my great surprise and joy, I received the following reply early the next day:

Thank you for visiting our HomeLink website and for your inquiry. The answer to your question is yes. You must purchase a hand held remote to program the HomeLink system in your vehicle. The remote model number you need to purchase is 971LM or 81LM (either one will program to the 635LM receiver you bought). The remote must first work on the 635LM receiver before you try programming the HomeLink system. If you purchase the 971LM remote, then you must follow all the steps from the programming instructions (general programming and rolling code programming). If you purchase the 81LM then you will only need to follow the general programming and not the rolling code.

That's incredible. In case you missed it — I know I had to read it twice, out of shock — this reply did two marvelous things.

(1) It answered my question. And how! "The answer to your question is yes." This is wonderful, amazing, and profoundly good. I got a straight answer! Clarity, brevity, utility!

(2) It anticipated a question I hadn't yet asked, and answered that question, too! Not only did I get a straight answer, but I also got a concrete recommendation for my next step. With this information I am empowered to completely solve my problem. So I won't need to contact them again.

Customer service denizens of the world, take note. This is a good example for you to follow. HomeLink has earned a prominent spot on the list of companies I'm delighted to do business with.