The customer is NOT always right

[KillerCrushes]

Over the years, a lot of people have asked for tips/advice on how to start and run a business within this niche fetish.

Originally Posted by LicensetoKill [Only Registered Users Can See LinksClick Here To Register]

Laughing at the guy is the first thing you've done that made me lose respect for you. That's kind of like Sunshine telling me I'm "jealous" because I suggested she not trash the community here, especially when she got good reviews on this site (well, prior to her trashing the site, since then some negative comments have come in). I was simply suggesting she not insult the community. She turned it into some kind of power struggle that she had to win. I've stopped corresponding with her.

Be a professional. It's not about winning the battle (and even worse, bragging about it), it's about how you present yourself. A business should treat all clients with respect, even those they don't like. You don't have to see him. You don't have to read his e-mails, but laughing at him in a post crosses a line that I don't think you should cross.

There is some generally good advice in this post. But a major thing to keep in mind is that one guaranteed way to fail as a small business owner is to try to make everyone happy.

A mantra that we 70s kids heard often was "the customer is always right"...and we heard it from people older than we. Many of us then passed it down to the next generation...and it's flat-out wrong. The customer may be right in their own mind, but that doesn't mean they're right for you, the business owner...the one who is working 60-70 hours/week to keep the lights on, the one who is taking ALL the risk to provide a service, the one who has to deal with any manner of compliance issues (paperwork is a constant, regardless of industry), etc etc.

Some people just aren't worth the hassle. If you're running a business with net receipts of $120,000/year and your take-home ends up being about 40% of that, there is likely little value in trying to save a customer who is angry over $40. But the $800 client may be worth more of your time and a little giveback. "But word of mouth", you say? It's important, no doubt, but do you want 10 of his friends making trouble for you over 40 bucks?

No one wants to lose in any transaction. That's human nature and it's impossible to separate business from the humans who run them. But some wins look different than others. Sometimes, you pay a customer to go away and other times, you simply show them the door.

You can't give everything away for free and your time is more valuable to you than it is to any customer who walks through your door or emails you.

[Juvi]

Very well said.

[ca12345]

Yeah it's a tough situation because some customers are impossible to reconcile with once they feel they have been wronged and even if you give them their money back and let them keep whatever they purchased, they'll still hit you with a bad review.

I think there are plenty of times in business where a fight isn't worth fighting but there are also times where it is absolutely OK to let an unreasonable customer leave unsatisfied.

[GuyIncognito]

The customer is always right is one of the worst ideas ever floated, that being said, treating clients with respect isn't the same as trying to make them all happy. It is well within a person's right in this industry to refuse service for a potential client, but doing so respectfully is probably a smarter call in the long run. Not sure overall how it will effect her business going forward and it very well may not effect it at all, but I'm sure people on this board will look at that thread and question whether or not she's someone they should do business with based on her comments.

[krunch1980]

The thread has been discussed and closed.

This is not a forum for small business advice and No reason to create a spinoff thread.

Shut this shit down!

[cbpinfan]

Originally Posted by krunch1980 [Only Registered Users Can See LinksClick Here To Register]

The thread has been discussed and closed.

This is not a forum for small business advice and No reason to create a spinoff thread.

Shut this shit down!

I'll second this!

[Naji]

KC, with all due respect, let's end this topic. Of course, feel free to create a new thread related to whether businesses should bend for customers if you wish in the future in the General Discussion section, preferably without reference to this case, since discussing it further is doing more harm to real people than it should in my opinion. Closing the thread.