Creative Muvo headphone foam covers...and how not to treat a custom

Question

I recently lost one of the foam covers for my new muvo n200 headphones. This is a major pain since it won't stay in my ear.
I went to the store where I bought it, and they said to contact Creative, or try Radio Shack. Radio shack doesn't have ones that will fit.
I emailed Creative, they said call their technical support. I called technical support, and the guy I spoke with suggested I buy a new pair of headphones. When I asked whether I could buy or be sent some new foams only, he was extremely rude in saying no and quickly ended the call. These foamies cost..what..25 cents each at the most?
Hello Creative customer support - tell your phone support people to be courteous on the phone, and at least try and be helpful. Not what I was expecting, especially when email support told me to call it in. Very poor experience.
Anyone know where I can get a new pair of foams.

Answer 1

"JK23 - You're absolutely right, I don't expect many companies these days to go above and beyond to satisfy their customers. Most don't, and hence why consumer loyalty to brands is very low. My point was that this guy was the face and voice of Creative, and was very rude. Making a suggestion to buy new headphones for the sake of one foam is insulting. I did offer to purchase them, but that wasn't an option either. "
You need to keep in mind that the item you purchased retails for under $200. Creative's profit on each one of these is probably quite slim. Wages of customer service people are not cheap. They can't afford to provide the level of service you want, especially on such low priced products. It wouldn't even make sense for them to do so if the Muvos were priced much higher(say $500 US), as replacement foams(or even replacement earphones for those who can't find the foams are so inexpensi've). The cost of processing a request for additional foams might very well be well over $5, even though the foams themselves are very cheap. Payroll costs are high. Then there is postage and other handling costs.
"But like I said, that is the difference between a good company and a great one. A great one recognizes that this really has nothing to do with little ear foamies"
It does have to do with costs and profit margins though. The Muvos retail in the $80-$70 range(which includes the retailer's and distributors profits). Making these is not cheap. Creative's profit on each of these might not be much more than $5. Now you can see why they can't afford to accomodate such requests. If the Muvos retailed for $500+, and Creative made a few hundred dollars on each, then spending a few dollars each time to make a customer happy might make sense.