Back in April, I wrote this post about Dollar Shave Club.
I bit the bullet and joined DSC at the beginning of summer. I wanted to get a reasonable amount of shaving time in with DSC razors before weighing in on my decision to switch and how I feel about the company and the service that they provide.
For those who aren’t familiar with them, Dollar Shave Club offers three plans:
- The Humble Twin
- The 4x, and
- The Executive
With The Humble Twin plan, you receive a shipment of five (5) twin-bladed cartridges, once a month for $1 (USD), plus shipping and handling. The 4x plan sends you a monthly shipment of four (4) four-bladed cartridges for $6 (USD), shipping and handling included. The Executive plan sends you four (4) six-bladed cartridges for $9 (USD), shipping and handling also included.
Not only that, but if you find that you don’t go through quite so many blades in a month, Dollar Shave Club also has a “Not So Hairy” option for which you receive blades every other month.
I decided to go with The 4x, as I came to enjoy the triple-bladed shave I received from “the razor whose name translates to ‘three times the speed of sound.'” My first package arrived in late May. One of the first things that I noticed was that the shipment wasn’t “over-packaged.” My handle and blades arrived in a simple shipping envelope:
Upon opening the package, I found the following items inside:
I thought that the membership card was a nice – and amusing – touch. The banter on the back of the card also brought a smile (and a laugh) to my face.
I wasn’t expecting a sample to be included in the package, so that was a pleasant surprise. And, as I already had a shaving regimen, I didn’t – and still haven’t – had the opportunity to try the Dr. Carver’s Easy Shave Butter. Perhaps I’ll explore that one weekend in the not too distant future…
As for the razor handle and blades, I have been quite pleased with them. There was a minor learning curve that came along with using a new razor. I’ve been shaving for years, but there are certain concerns that one has when you shaving not only your face, but your head, as well:
- How does the new head pivot?
- What, if any, difference will I see in going from three blades to four?
- How comfortable is the new handle?
After three months, I think that I have a decent feel for the razors. In fact, I had a situation that arose last week, forcing me to use a different razor, and let’s just say that my head suffered for it. (More on that in a minute.) I’ve found the quality of the blades and the handle to be good. The handle is slightly heftier than my previous razor, but fits comfortably in hand. I like the shave that I get with The 4x cartridges; I can’t foresee a reason that I would need to change to The Executive, but I won’t say “I’ll never switch.” (The last “I’ll never” comment that I flippantly made, but with serious intent, was “I’ll never shave my head.” We see how that one turned out.)
I have also been pleased by how responsive DSC’s Customer Service has been on the two occasions when I’ve had to contact them. The first arose when I realized that I had signed up for Dollar Shave Club without using a friend’s referral link. I sent a quick email to DSC explaining what had happened and a short while later, received a reply with instructions on how to make sure that my friend was properly credited. No fuss. No rigamarole. Just a simple “We’ll take care of it.” The second occasion came up when I found my razor’s handle broken. (This was the incident I mentioned above, that caused me to use a new/different razor.) Again, I sent an email to DSC. Shortly, I received the following email:
Hey Robert,
So sorry about that! We’ll get a replacement out to you immediately. Should reach you within a few days.
We are always looking for ways to improve our design. Would you mind sending us a picture of the broken handle for our records? That would help us out a ton. Thanks in advance.
Shave Better,
Josh
I had taken pictures before contacting DSC about the handle issue, so remitting the pictures was a simple matter. The new handle arrived a few days ago. Just. Like. That.
I’m always happy to support a company that has good customer service. Great customer service? Unfortunately, that’s becoming an increasingly rare commodity these days. I can say, however, that Dollar Shave Club, is a company that has great customer service.
I’m happy to recommend Dollar Shave Club to anyone who’s looking to get a great shave at an excellent value. And, should you choose to give them a go, please feel free – but not obligated – to use my referral link: http://shaved.by/jdTz
