Customer Service quiz!

[archipirata]

It's laundry, just have your wife deal with it.













(Ducks objects thrown by MacGurl)

[volcs0]

/agrees

[Paul F.]

From a BUSINESS point of view;

How many shirts did said customer just drop off?
Do I remember this customer as a regular who gets stuff done here regularly?
How much do I net on each shirt of his?
How long (roughly, not getting the calculator out) will it take me to recoup my loss of $2 on this customers business, should he choose to return?

Unless the answers to those questions are at least "neutral" or positive for my business.... the customer gets a polite apology, but no $2. IF, on the other hand, he IS a regular that I recall dropping a fair amount of business my way, and I'm clearing $1 a shirt... then I apologise, open the register, give the customer his $2, AND a coupon for "next time he here", and wish him a nice day.

When I was a self employed gunsmith, I noticed that it was usually the guys that I'd never seen before, and would probably never see again, that always wanted to "cut a deal" or "get a discount" for (whatever). The guys who kept coming back for my work may have had the occasional legit problem.. and those guys I treated right by fixing their problem, or making some sort of recompense for their trouble.

A business should treat their customers right.. but it also goes the other way; If a business is good to a customer, a customer should be good to the business. This is not an obligation, but a reciprocation of the courtesy the business shows the customer by going above and beyond what is required (in the cleaners place, I would not always take the customers word at face value... unless I had been dealing with that customer before).


Now, that being said...
The cheap boogers should pay Greg his $2!

[Robert M]

Greg,

The reality is they broke the button. however, it is too late for you to do anything about it. The issue isn't that they broke it. You know it. Unfortunately, you needed to point out the broken button before you took it home with you. At that point, they would've been vastly more likely to admit their error and do something for you in return, i.e. free cleaning, replace the button, etc.

Since you took the shirt home and then contacted the cleaners about the damage, they have no choice but to deny breaking it. They have no way of knowing what happened to the shirt after it left their premises. Did you break the button? Was it cleaned elsewhere and broken by a different establishment? All of these things come into play and would definitely be valid reasons for the cleaners to deny breaking the button and/or refuse to repair/replace it.

If I was the owner of the cleaners, I'd likely question who damaged the buttons but still refund the cost of cleaning or a replacement button for the purposes of goodwill. It'd be a different matter entirely if the item in question was great in value and the custoemr demanded it be repaired and/or replaced.

Robert

[RAMd®d]

If in fact it looks to me like the shirt was pressed with the button(s) on, then I'd write off the $2.

This would be especially true if I knew that:

a) We are aware of other customer complaints of broken buttons
b) I had to hire my wife's stupid cousin because his family disowned him
c) I've known this customer for awhile now and this is the first time he'e complained
d) He's not a jerk like some of the people I have to deal with dailiy
e) He may not be big customer but he's a good customer
f) "always" mean being perfect, and am I?

As a customer it's much easier for *me* to remember if I took it somewhere else or pressed at home, damaging the button. Knowing that *not* to be the case, I'd go somewhere else from now on, regardless if the business man relents.

[RAMd®d]

...]they have no choice but to deny breaking it.

But that's not true. They in fact do have a choice. Business people are faced with that choice constantly. An underling at a cash register may not have a choice, but somebody above him does and can make it.

Believe the customer or not. That is the choice. Is the customer credible for a $2 complaint? As a responsible business man, I know that the customer has no other recourse but to make a choice-- continue to patronize me even though he:

a) tried to "get over on the Man"
b) knows I broke the button even though I don't

And that customer's choice would be-- should I stay or should I go?

As a business man, do I want to lose a decent customer for $2? No. If he was a jerk, fine, let him go. Or, if he spent a lot of money at my place, I *could* be his-- (but I don't talk like that.

[Big Daddy Cool]

Bottom line is you shouldn't be wearing those 'button thingees' in your shirt in the first place.

Do you keep the cardboard in the collar too?

go buy yerself some cufflinks or don't wear french cuff shirts.

and the drycleaner was still a jerk.

[Greg the dogsitter]

[quote Big Daddy Cool]Do you keep the cardboard in the collar too?.
No, but I had to check.

[Big Daddy Cool]

haha

[Jack D.]

Another option to think about is how many negative comments does this customer make to his friends (like us here on the forum) that ultimately lead to new business/customers shying away from a potentially shoddy dry cleaner? Or would the establishment rather pay $2 for a satisfied customer that tells his friends how he pointed out a problem with his order and the "man" was polite, apologetic and so proud of his work that he went out of his way to make things right by refunding that $2 that doesn't buy squat these days? Well it does buy a bad reputation but you can't really put a price on that.

I say keep the customer happy and eat the $2. When I had my shop I got referals for my good service ALL the time. People shop where they feel comfortable and wanted.