I came into your hardware store a few weeks ago.  I bought a couple of items including two blades for my chainsaw.  We had some trees removed and were digging holes to plant new trees.  Of course, I came across some of the left-over roots.

I installed the first chainsaw blade.  It hardly cut into the root at all.  I know roots can be a little harder, but this was ridiculous.  I even reinstalled the blade to make sure I didn’t accidentally put it on backwards.  No luck.  So, I installed the second blade only to have the same results.  Two blades and I’m barely a half an inch into the root.  I tried to cut one of the regular branches I had as I knew they would be softer, but guess what?  The blade hardly cut that branch either.

So, I returned to your store to ask for a replacement or refund.  The employee that helped me took a look at the blades, then he went to see the manager, that’s you.  The employee came back and told me that you said that once the blade was used at all there were no refunds.  In my younger days I probably would have put up more of a fuss.  I said thank you to the employee and left your store.  I probably won’t be back.

Over the last several years I’m sure we’ve spent a few thousand dollars at your store.  I would drive several miles to your store.  I would try to buy from you first before looking at the big box stores.  Now that has changed.  You have lost a customer over $50 worth of product.  The brand was different than what I usually bought but your employee said that company made other brands as well.  Were the two blades I bought defective?  Was the brand not as good as the name brand I usually purchased?  I’m guessing you didn’t even care to take the time to consider the situation.  You did not even come out to tell me yourself.  You sent your employee back to tell me “no refund.”

While my story may be unique to me, I’m quite sure that similar stories occur every day in retail America.  Companies make policies.  Sure, they have to put guardrails in place so employees know what they can and cannot do.  Maybe A.I. even made up your policies.  There are many reasons for a customer to change their loyalties.  They add an automated system to answer the phones.  They tell the customer that their call is important to you while your robot puts them on hold and makes them wait.  Or worse yet, transfers them from one robot to another, each time telling the customer how important their call is while they wait again on another agent.

You are a tightwad when it comes to customer complaints, never stopping to realize that giving a small refund or a discount to help compensate for the customer’s time and trouble will cost you less than what you will make off of that customer in the next month.  Even worse, sometimes you’ll go so far as to insult the customer as trying to rip you off or cheat you somehow.

The customer hangs up the phone after 30 minutes on hold or leaves your store vowing to never return again.  You don’t notice because that’s only ONE customer and surely your advertising will bring in a new customer to take their place.  But suddenly your advertising doesn’t seem to be as effective.  Maybe word has spread because that ONE customer, or the many Only ONE customers have told everyone they know about their experience and encourage them to visit your competition.  Your sales, and your profits, are dropping.  You blame it on the economy, the weather, or the man-in-the-moon. 

You didn’t know me.  And not until twenty or thirty or more like me go somewhere else, before just maybe you realize you need to adjust the way you do business.  After all, I’m only ONE customer.

If you would like an evaluation of your customer relationship practices, click here to schedule a meeting to discuss your situation.  Or visit NCBusinessCoach.com for more information.