Great Support from Herman Miller

So I use one of the famous Herman Miller Aeron chairs in my home office. I love it primarily because the mesh seat prevents swampass, but of course overall it is a highly ergonomic chair, nicely adjustable, rugged, and holds its value well. My specific chair was made in 2000 and I bought it used on craigslist for $250 in 2009. Today exactly the 12-year warranty finally expires. About two weeks ago it suddenly broke. A thin rod broke free of its clamp and started protruding from the bottom such that the casters wouldn't hit the ground anymore. I was worried that I would need to replace the chair, but given my trend toward more DIY and frugality, I called up Herman Miller support to see what they would say. Staff was out at training that day so I left a voice mail and called again Monday. I spoke with a woman who had heard my voice mail and had me on her list to call back. I told her what my chair was doing and she shipped me out a repair kit for the main problem as well as a set of repair kits to fix the arms, which wouldn't hold their adjusted height. These arrived a bit later with hand-drawn instructions on how to do the repair. The diagrams weren't entirely clear (earth to furniture industry: we have these things called photographs. Stop sending out line drawing pencil art instructions.), but after some futzing I was able to properly repair the main hydraulic rod as well as the arms. I managed to bust the tilt adjuster in the process of putting my chair on its side many times, though. The back was now stuck dead vertical. I called support again. The rep's business card and direct phone number were including in the package of repair kits. She instructed me to stand on the back legs of the chair and lift the chair back up to unlock it. Now my Aeron is back to working condition, and it didn't cost me a time. Herman Miller shipped the repair kits free and the support consultation was free. That's great service!