The Value of a Happy Customer
Imagine spending several hours with your child in one of those hip, trendy, music-blaring fashion stores, picking out endless layered outfits for camp, only to be told at the register that there is a cap on the number of purchases an individual can make, and, unfortunately, you’re over the limit. Or, imagine you purchased a phone several months ago and it just doesn’t work. You write, you call, you threaten to involve your lawyer and the media….and still the store won’t take the phone back because it violates store policy on the return of electronics.
The clothing store is concerned about individuals purchasing large amounts of merchandise for resale. The electronics division of the department store won’t take back anything electroinc that was purchased more than six months ago. On the surface, these policies don’t seem overly unfiar. But when store policies violate everything that seems right and fair to the customer, who’s wrong? Is it the store, for setting up seemingly inflexible, stringent policies or is it the customer for having unreasonable expectations? Complaints like these are at the core of the customer experience, and stores who make it exceedingly difficult for their customers to return unwanted items are losing those customers.
Janet Rubel, attorney and author of 101+ Complaint Letters That Get Results, places the responsibility on the customer, stating, “The most common mistake people make is not complaining to the right place and in the right manner.”
The National Retail Federation’s Dan Butler says, “…most retailers do everything they can to satisfy customers and typically assume the consumer is right. “Most policies are very, very liberal, but with electronics they are more stringent because it’s so competitive and most of the retailers take a loss.”
So how can the customer get what they want when faced with an inflexible policy and an equally inflexible store associate? Experts recommend fighting for your rights in a professional manner. It’s also important to understand that the typical store employee is probably more concerned with breaking a store policy and risking his or her job than with satisfying the customer. They simply do not have the power or permission to do what you’re asking.
Ron Burley, author of Unscrewed: The Consumer’s Guide to Getting What You Paid For, says, “[Customers] need to find someone within the corporation who realizes the intrinsic value of happy customers. People in the sales department will answer the phone quickly and are trained to create happy customers, not push you away. “For large purchases where a good deal of money is at stake, Burley suggests another creative strategy— buy 10 shares of stock in the company and they’ll likely bend over backwards to help out one of their investors.
For most consumers, though, the first line of defense when dissastisfied is to ask to speak to the manager. They usually have the power to break away from a policy, and since they are concerned with customer retention, most managers will do what they can to help you walk out of the store satisfied.
Tags: customer complaints, customer service, Dan Butler, happy customers, Janet Rubel, NRF, Ron Burley