COMPLAINTS

What should you do when a customer complains about a product? This is a simple question and how you answer it will reflect on your level of success. If it is a product that can be returned easily, refund their money immediately. If they paid the cost of mailing it back to you, reimburse them. Make the situation as painless as possible for the customer. Let them understand that your main concern is always their complete satisfaction. By doing this you convert an unpleasant situation into a positive experience for the buyer. They lose nothing in the process and will certainly consider other products that you may be selling in the future.

If you are dealing with large projects the situation is more difficult financially, but the principal remains the same. It is essential to make the experience pleasant for your customer. This will bring you more business later even if you lose a little money now. Over the past thirty years of running a business, I have had some opportunities to deal with situations that were less than pleasant. In all those years, I can remember only one customer that was impossible to satisfy. And that was not completely my fault although I was certainly a participant.

The situation was complicated by the actions of a general contractor. He tried to serve as a middleman and made a real mess of things. Even in this case, the only real disagreement had to do with the price and not the quality of the work. All the other cases where problems arose ended with the customer completely happy and giving me additional work.

So what happens when someone tries to take advantage of you? Certainly there are people out there who would abuse your honesty. Well, each case must be reviewed on its own merits to determine what is best in the particular situation. Let's take a simple contractor or homeowner situation. Many homes have storm door or screen door and the screen portion is sometimes left open when the weather is ideal. What if a homeowner calls you during the one-year guarantee period because their screen has been ripped? Obviously you will be responsible for a manufacturers defect. If it seems that the screen is defective, replace it promptly and without question. What if it is obvious that either a dog or a child has simply jumped through the screen? That is abuse and you are not responsible for the damage. The individual should pay for the repair. These situations are not always clear-cut. If there is any doubt as to how the screen was torn, I would replace it without question. If this person has been in the house for almost a year and has never called you about anything else, you might replace it anyway, just as a courtesy. On the other hand, if this person is always calling with problems that are obviously caused by abuse, it may be time to say no. No one can say what is best for a specific situation except the person facing it at the moment.

So what can you do during these uncomfortable situations? Start by listening. When a customer is upset, they want someone to take the time to listen and appreciate their problem. So even if you can't help, the person will realize that you are interested. This will often diffuse a situation. Next, find out what the person wants. You may think they want something replaced and they may simply want you to patch it for them. It could be that five minutes of work would resolve a serious problem. This would certainly be better than a conflict. View complaints as an opportunity to prove that you are a reliable and honest professional. Many merchants dread complaints and make things difficult and unpleasant for the complainers. Any business handling complaints in this manner will suffer for it.