July 25, 2011

Just how pervasive is the cliche "the customer is always right" in business? Well, a quick Google search reveals more than 3 million matching Web pages containing that exact phrase. If you buy into the the "wisdom of the crowds," you're probably wondering why in the world only your business ended up with a lot of "wrong" customers.

Here's the secret that many business owners are afraid to admit: the customer is not always right. In fact, some customers are so wrong, you sometimes feel like a fired-up baseball umpire that just wants to get in the face of your customers and scream at them just how wrong they are.

Aargh!

Okay, deep breath. That was cathartic, right?

So now that we've acknowledged that the customer is not, in fact, always right, why is this adage so popular? Well, aside from giving your customers a warm and fuzzy feeling about your business, it's the implied meaning that's made the saying a part of many corporate mission statements.

You see, the customer is not always right. But, and it's a big "but," the customer always thinks they are right. That's what's important to remember. There may be many incidents where you know that the customer is 100 percent wrong, and couldn't be any more wrong if their name was Mr. W. Rong from Wrongsville, Wronginham.

The key is to swallow your pride and look beyond the need for you to justify your company's actions. I'll give you two examples: one where I was the "right" business and another, where I was the "wrong" customer.

At Trackur, we have a pretty generous money-back guarantee for a software company. Try our social media monitoring tools and you can cancel for ANY reason inside of your first 10 days and we'll give you your money back. No questions asked. Still, we get the occasional user that waits until Day 55 before asking for a refund. While we have a very clearly spelled out refund policy, they end up trying to charge back their payment, or open a payment dispute with PayPal.

This is usually the point that my blood starts to boil. Then, I think about the time and effort needed to dispute their claim. I can provide documentation that would make my case so air-tight that even Perry Mason would be proud, but here's my dilemma: The customer thinks they are right. Delusional? Maybe. Dangerous, absolutely! By winning the dispute, I could potentially further upset a customer that, sincerely or not, believes they are right. Am I prepared to fight any smear campaign they wage on Twitter? Do I want to be distracted by a legal letter? Not at all. Better to accept that the customer has the right to believe they are right, and just make the refund.

And that's the approach Crutchfield.com took with me. To make a long story short, I purchased a new car stereo and also paid for installation of said stereo. I had interpreted the conditions of the install, to include all of the parts that were needed to actually install it. In actual fact, the small print did include wording to the contrary. Still, I felt misled by Crutchfield. After a few tweets, e-mails, and some general huffing and puffing, a customer-savvy support agent used Twitter to reach out to me. Crutchfield sent me the needed parts for free. It cost the company less than $15 to stop me from taking my delusions of injustice to the masses. I wasn't technically right, but they treated me as though I was.

Remember, the customer is not always right. But let's just keep that between you and me, shall we? Treat your customers the way you would want to be treated—even if you knew you were not right—and your business will flourish because word of mouth will treat you well and you won't get distracted by the Mr. W. Rong's of the world.

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Join the conversation ( 7 )

• Bruce Walker 2 months ago

  

  The customer may not always be right, but the customer always has the money.

• Bruce Walker 2 months ago

  

  The customer may not always be right, but he is always the one with the money.

• Matt Parmaks 9 months ago

  

  As the cliche goes:Rule #1: Customer is always right.Rule #2: If customer is WRONG, refer to Rule #1.It still holds true to this day.

• Sean Eastman 9 months ago

  

  I agree with you to a certain extent. I am an equine veterinarian, and if I were to give refunds every time a client complained unjustly, then word would get out to all the other horse people to "complain, and you'll get your money back" I would definitely be a popular veterinarian in the community, but I also would be broke. There are times that I have given a refund, but we have gotten to the point of requiring clients to pay upfront for the services provided. In the past we have gotten into trouble, "carrying peoples' bills", because later, when we are trying to collect, people begin the complaining. People are funny critters, that is for sure and certain!

• Joy Fick 9 months ago

  

  I so agree with you. In the automotive world, it's difficult enough to keep the trust of our customers when there are issues that don't get fixed the first time around. After I think about it for awhile, I usually come to the conclusion that it's better to allow the customer to think they are right, and it's a win/win situation.

• Rick Risner 9 months ago

  

  Excellent article and so true. We run into this (we are a Managed Services Provider) all the time. It's gotten to the point that no matter what your contract \ SLA says it's not worth the paper that it's written on anymore. Customers know this and take full advantage of it. Most KNOW they are wrong but are just trying to save on costs or save face. It's like a virus these days. It just keeps spreading and the customer does everything they can to get addtional free services by complaining when we know they clearly understand the terms, etc...

  • Ken Kueker 9 months ago

    

    I agree with you Rick. Unfortunately the world has become so dishonest that many people feel no shame when they try to take advantage of others, and especially in situations where they clearly know that they are wrong in their assertions.