Every once in a while, a customer story turns into something much bigger than tech support.

So, what would you do if a man called in crying, begging for help with his broken phone because it held the last photos of his wife who had just passed away?

Would you treat it like any other repair ticket? Or would you go out of your way to see that he gets the help he needs?

In the following story, one support worker faces this exact decision and decides to go above and beyond for the customer.

Here’s what happened.

The accident

I worked phone and retail for a fruity tech company. I spent two years in retail and two years on the phone.

I’ve heard tons of stories, some true and some lies, but there are three I’ll never forget, and this is one.

I received a phone call from a man who was practically sobbing. While I’ve received my fair share of calls, it’s rare to get a crier, so I braced for impact.

Through his tears a guy was telling me about how he NEEDED to get his phone repaired.

The display on his phone was shattered and he NEEDED it fixed.

The display was broken and he couldn’t enter the password even though he knew it.

Then, the man shared heartbreaking news.

There was more to the story, so I asked if there was something on the phone he was trying to recover.

As soon as I asked, the tears were practically into overdrive. He explained that his wife got into a car accident on her way home from the mall.

She was t-boned and died on impact.

My stomach dropped.

He then told me her last photos of her were her and his daughters together and he wanted the last memories of his wife with her kids so he could remember her.

By this point, she felt terrible and just wanted to help him.

Now I’m heartbroken but determined. I’ve never loved anyone that much, but I have looked for that type of love, so all my energy was focused on him.

Normally, we were told to keep calls short or get texts to speed things up, and if we needed help, but those were going to get ignored.

We tried quick fixes like plugging it into the computer, but the computer wasn’t a trusted device. She didn’t use cloud backups. And in-store service was going to be problematic.

In-store, they plug phones into a machine, and if the frame is bent or there are issues, the machine mail fails to repair and erases data. It’s rare, but it happens.

If I transfer to higher-ups, they can’t do anything, so I think back on my retail training. I remember in the drawers of my old store, we had data recovery business cards for local places.

I decided to call the local store closest to him.

She helped create a plan, which worked in the guy’s favor.

I partnered with a retail manager, which phone support is not trained to do. I explained the scenario, and we created a plan.

The plan is to get him in-store and have a manager waiting for him so he doesn’t have to repeat his story or explain why it matters.

He was going to get white glove service, and if we couldn’t repair the phone, we partnered with a local recovery place to recover photos for next to nothing.

We are committed to saving these photos. I get that manager’s email, and I transfer the call to him.

A week later, I was hoping to find out what happened, so I emailed the manager.

He explained that the phone was too badly flanged to be repaired without risking being erased, but a local data recovery place was able to save the photos.

He then forwarded me a thank-you email from the customer.

It wasn’t the most heroic or painful thing, but it does show that we aren’t all out to get you, make money, or screw over the customer.

Some of us like our customers and want to help you.

Wow! She gave a whole new meaning to customer service.

Let’s see if the readers over at Reddit can relate to this story.

This reader empathizes with her and respects her actions.

This would’ve made the story take a dark turn.

Here’s someone who offers some nice words.

This reader also worked for the tech company before.

What a kind gesture! We need more of this in the world, for real!

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.