I have worked in the service industry for well over 30 years and I fully understand that there are those customers that will try and cheat you, or push the boundaries in trying to get things for free, or as cheap as possible. You have to stand firm to your company rules and policies at those times. However, when a customer pays for something and the business who takes their money agrees to deliver that product or service for that agreed amount of money, that business or person should then deliver on that agreement. If there are delays, or issues with the product or service, that business or person should then fix the issues, notify the customer of the situation and find a suitable solution that both parties agree upon. Even then, if they have an agreement or an amendment to the item or service, then the business should follow through and deliver it. If they can’t meet the deadline, give the agreed upon item or service, then they should compensate the customer. After all, it’s not the customers fault that the business failed to meet the agreed upon terms. If the business was foolish to agree to something they knew they could not provide then it’s their fault, they should not have agreed to it.
While at the same time, if the customer has requested changes to the item after it has been agreed to, they should be willing to pay for the changes. No customer should expect to receive anything for free at any time. They agree to order, purchase or pay for the service, they should pay for it. At the same time, if a business goes out of their way to do something for free, or a large discount, the customer should never expect it again.
Everyone has to earn a living, and everyone should be fair to the other.
Now with that said, let me give you an example of a situation that I find offensive.
I contacted a business to have a logo created. I was very clear from day one that we were on a very tight time restraint and told the business of the deadlines that I required having things done by. We agree on a set price, and the business agreed to have things done in a timely fashion so I could meet my deadlines. Right off the bat, the business failed to invoice me to get the ball rolling, he gave me an excuse that could have been legit, I accepted it and still gave him a chance. Big mistake, that should have been a warning sign right off the bat.
We proceeded with the initial deposit; the first draft wasn’t delivered on time. Once I did get it, I made my comments and suggested changes. The next day, he sends me another draft that he had ‘overlooked’ in his email from his staff. This new set of designs was more in line with what I wanted. Due to this we lost another week in getting a design worked on and completed. That one week through off my deadlines and started to cost me to lose money.
Once I got the revised edition, it took another week of delays to get the finale version. Even at that time when I received the finale version I specifically asked for certain size and file type. I did not receive it. I instead got excuses why I couldn’t get it. Ok, fine, maybe the excuses were valid; I’m not a graphics person, so I honestly couldn’t say. Thus, I altered what I requested to be more in line with their abilities and what I needed. I made the finale payment, spoke with the owner of the business on the phone and was clear in what I needed and he agreed to get it done.
Two weeks went by and I had to send an email to find out what was happening. By this point, I missed all my deadlines, had to pay three times as much to get things printed due to him missing deadline after deadline. At no time did I get an apology from the business, nor an offer to discount the work, or anything. He acted as if he has done nothing wrong.
With more excuses, I was then forced to act like an ‘ass’ and give him a deadline to get the finished product to me. Instead, I got excuses as to why I didn’t get it. He missed the deadline and now I have to spend time and money to get a full refund from my credit card charges, BBB, and possible legal action to recover the additional money that I spent and will spend to get a logo that I wanted, in the format that I need. This should not be happening!
The business agreed to perform and do actions for a fee. The fee was paid in full, and the business failed to perform, yet I am the one who has to become an ‘ass’ to recover lost money.
What is most upsetting is that I am seeing this in a lot of areas of business. People don’t care to provide customer service, nor do they want to support what they agree to do. The attitude of ‘give me your money and go away,’ is how things are happening these days. This is unacceptable and it must change. We don’t need new laws on the books; we don’t need to hold a hammer over someone’s head to get them to do what they agree upon. We simply need morals to come back into the business world. I’m not asking for too much, am I?
NOTE: While the company has screwed me over, I have not listed their name on here to warn others of their inability to perform the work. I should, but my morale sense doesn't see the need to do so, at least not at the moment.
