peer to peer The Unwinnable Scenario
Problem: A client purchased a product and install from us recently. After the install, they left and returned within a week claiming it wasn’t working. We attempted to fix the problem but were unable due to a glitch. We tried contacting the manufacturer but it turns out the vehicle wasn’t compatible with that model car. Te client was furious and blasted us on social media (i.e. Yelp, Facebook, etc.) despite our best efforts to diffuse the situation. What should we do?
Public Offering “Humbly apologize for your mistake,
make no excuses, and let time heal the wound. And, of course, refund the cus- tomer his money. We had a situation once with a shopper who never bought any- thing but got really mad at me because I didn’t offer him a coupon that he later found on Google. He lit me up on Google saying “I saved $200 simply by going some- where else. Thanks Jon!” I took 3-4 days to calm down and then wrote a public response explain- ing every detail and in the end offered to honor that coupon if he gave us the chance. I can’t tell you how many customers reference that review when they come in as a reason why they’re there. Sometimes a bad review, if handled properly, can really be an asset. It makes you seem more real.” Jon Kowanetz, Handcrafted Car Audio,
Mesa, Ariz.
Own the Error “The only thing you can do at this point is own the mistake. Don’t try to make excuses or pass the buck on some- thing or someone else. Yes you may have lost one client but you can easily gain two to three more by being honest and taking 100% of the fault. I would also hope that we captured the client’s data so that when a solution becomes available we can contact them to let them know and hopefully regain their trust and business.” Justin Ferroni, Best Buy, Richfield, Minn.
No Way Out “We recently had a situation where a company had told the customer the prod- uct was compatible with their vehicle, and paid us to install the product they had already. They even had an appli- cation guide that showed the vehicle
Product Explanation “You can’t make every client happy.
I’m not sure what you could do with Yelp and like sites, but Facebook is out in the open. I personally would make a public apology to the client (maybe offer some sort of in-store credit) and then follow up with a public notice about what we learned with that particular product and vehicle compatibility. I would go on to explain why the two were incompatible and then explain what similar products are compatible (if available).” Tim Wilkinson, Quality Auto Stereo and CB, Jacksonville, Fla.
Honest Hands “Always be honest. Sometimes when you put your hand up you get a high five; other times you get your hand smacked.” Micah Williams, Sonus Car Audio, Clarksville, Tenn.
was compatible. However, when I did the install we found out that it was not compatible and caused multiple vehicle issues. Newer application guides don’t list the vehicle anymore and that com- pany told us that was a known issue. The customer was irate and furious about it insisting that she was told it was compat- ible. We did everything that we could and apologized. It’s really just one of those situations where you have to humble yourself, admit the mistake, be honest about it, and that usually will help calm the situation.” Bryan Turvaville, Auto Trim Design, Amarillo, Texas
Persistent Troubleshooting “We humbly apologize and inform the
customer that they don’t really want their money back, they just want what they paid for and we plan on giving it to them. We pride ourselves on our techs’ ability to troubleshoot properly. Recently we had a telematics piece that didn’t work properly. After they brought the car back several times, we finally figured out the problem with the company’s R&D depart- ment and all was good. They want what WE want; to get what they pay for!!” JP Jones, Final Touch Crew,
Frankfort, Ky.
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