The Customer is NOT Always Right

Marshall Field was quoted as saying "The customer is always right!" He's wrong.

Don't get me wrong, I get the saying. I understand that without customers we wouldn't have a business, we wouldn't have jobs. I understand that customer service is vital to the health of any business. Those who don't serve their customers well will eventually be out of business. But like most things, the vocal minority idiots have ruined the spirit behind that principle and it has led to some huge ethical issues.

I've been in sales and other customer service positions my whole life and I've had that little chestnut "the customer is always right" whipped in my face and in my co-workers faces several times. I've been standing next to friends and family who, much to my embarrassment, also flung that phrase at sales associates to get what they want. I hate it. Let me illustrate why...

The Ding-bat Dentist
A dental office purchases a product from a software company 8 years ago. This product costs $100 dollars a month regardless of whether the product is used or not. The office signs the paperwork that 1)states it's $99 a month regardless of whether they use it or not 2) has them fill out and authorize what checking account to automatically withdraw the funds from every month and 3) makes it plain that if they should decide not to keep it they must call us to cancel it because they are charged for it regardless of whether they use it. The office signs on the bottom line. Our training department trains them on how to use the product and sets it up for them. Over the years they stop using this product but never call our office to cancel it. And although we send them billing statements every month telling them what we've withdrawn money from their account for this service, because they don't read their billing statements and over time they forget they have this service. Along the way our accounts management team decides that as a courtesy they will call offices who haven't used this product in some time to see if they want to keep it or cancel it. The representative calls the office 7 times over 8 months but no one answers the phone, no one returns the many messages left, etc. Remember this courtesy call isn't required because the office said they'd pay it regardless of whether they use it so it's their responsibility to manage it. One day the doctor picks up his billing statement in what would be the first time in years and notices this charge. He calls our office livid about this. He demands that we cancel this service that he's "obviously not using" and give him all his money back because he never used it. We remind him that he did sign the paperwork obligating himself to manage this service, we inform him that as a courtesy we've even been trying to contact his office about this product for the better part of a year but no one will call back. He says he's "too busy" to return the call when they were placed. He gets mad when we tell him that we can't refund the money and starts screaming about how dishonest we are and how this is terrible service. "The Customer is ALWAYS Right!" he shoots at the technician. And because this technician is trained that it is bad customer service to be anything other than polite, calm, and happy to a customer he is steamrolled with abuses from this doctor. In a meek attempt to defend his company's position he says "Doctor you've paid $100 a month for 7 years for a service you're not using. That's $8400. How could you not notice that on your billing statements, bank statements, or credit card bills?" Was the customer justified in demanding his money back? Hadn't the company done every earthly thing possible to make sure the office knows that it's their responsibility to manage this? Even then hadn't the company gone above and beyone the call of duty to contact the office to try and help them decide to keep or cancel it? Was the doctor justified in demanding a refund or did he use his position as a consumer to demand something that he had no right to demand?

Flooring Store Fiasco
A couple walks into a flooring store to purchase carpet. The salesperson spends an hour with the couple showing them everything in the store and then they finally find their perfect carpet. The store doesn't have that product in stock so they'll have to order it in. He takes their deposit and tells them that it's generally 2 weeks for the product to get in and installed unless it's on backorder he tells them that they should be prepared for the possibility that it could be on backorder and to make no plans until they find out when the carpet will be available. They give the salesperson a few phone numbers to contact them and keep them up to date on the progress. At the beginning of the next day when all the orders are placed the salesperson is told that the carpet is on backorder. The salesperson decides that even though he told them that there's always the possibility that it will be on backorder, he decides he'll still call them to keep them in the loop. He leaves a message on the first number, then calls the second number and leaves a message, then leaves a message on the third number. The third number's message states that the woman has a work number that she can be reached at if absolutely necessary. He decides not to call that number reasoning that he had already left 3 messages and that this wasn't an emergency. He doesn't hear from the couple so the next morning goes through the process of leaving messages on all 3 numbers again to see if they want to choose another product or keep their first choice that's on backorder. Again no answer. He goes through this for the next three days. Finally on the fourth day the couple walk into the store to see if the product is in. The salesperson asks them if they hadn't got any of his messages, they admit they hadn't. He tells them the situation and they tell him they'll think about it and storm out of the store furious. Later that evening they call back and demand to speak to the man's boss. They scream at the boss demanding he fire the salesperson because he didn't communicate with them that the product was on backorder. They mention how he should've called the woman's work number that was mentioned on the third number's answering machine (the one that specifies to only use this number in case of an emergency). They demand some sort of a discount and tell the boss how unprofessional it was for the salesperson not to communicate better, they said "Don't you guys value your customers?" The sales manager gives them a discount to their carpet, when that doesn't satisfy them he offers to give them blinds for their home below cost. When the couple come in to pick out their blinds the salesperson apologizes (although he hadn't been in the wrong) for the miscommunication. The woman turns to him and says "You're so lucky buddy, I'm a lawyer and I could've sued you for breach of contract!" (of course he found out later she wasn't a lawyer but a salesperson at the next company he went to work for). Was the salesperson in the wrong? Didn't he try every way they have given him to communicate with them? Didn't he go above and beyond by not only calling all 3 numbers and leaving messages but doing that for multiple days in a row? Hadn't he warned them initially that sometimes carpet is on backorder and to be prepared in case that should happen? Was the customer right here or were they using their position as a customer to take offense at a situation in which they were in the wrong? Hadn't they misused their role as a customer to get not only a discount on their carpet but also get blinds below the company's cost taking money out of the company's pocket?

The Pot Calling the Kettle Black
The stories can and do continue to roll on. Every day customers use their position to demand services and remuneration from companies that they pretend wronged them. in their mind these "big companies" have unlimitedly deep pockets and so what's "$200 here and there?" When the company refuses to bend to their wishes the customer talks about corporate dishonesty and ethics. They throw examples like Enron and Bernie Madoff at the company placing them in the same arena as those scheisters. As the old saying goes "that's like the pot calling the kettle black"! Dishonest and unethical consumers justify themselves by hiding behind that old saying "the customer is always right" and then turn around and accuse companies of being dishonest and unethical. They threaten to turn them in to the Better Business Bureau if the company doesn't bend to their wishes or threaten to talk to the manager or the corporate office.

Manifestations and Consequences
To be clear the consequence of such dishonest behavior isn't simply a couple bucks out of a company's pocket that the company can easily write off. No, the result has more far reaching effects. At the personal level if you've lived behind that lie your whole life you've found an excuse to justify unethical behavior. What's to keep you from justifying similar behavior toward your employer "Well they have a lot of money, they're a huge company so it doesn't matter if I take a longer lunch or add an extra hour on my time card?" or your taxes "the government serves the people, we're their customers. I should claim less, they don't need the money," what about the effect of your example on your peers, especially your children. They see you belittling some poor kid for a couple extra bucks at a Best Buy store and they start believing that the only way to get what you want is by yelling at people and letting your anger get away from you. How can you teach tyour children the golden rule or to play nice with their peers when their parents don't? On a professional level most people in their employment are at times customers (with their suppliers) and at other times retailers (towards their customers). In your role as a customer towards your supplier you take the attitude that as a customer you're always right and you begin demanding unfair discounts and exceptions from your suppliers and the result is that not only do you burn your bridges with your suppliers who are supposed to be your partner (not your slave), you lose the trust of your employees who see this bad behavior as rank hypocrisy!

A Much Needed Paradigm Shift
What we need is a paradigm shift, we need to change the way we think about our roles as a customer. There is such a huge emphasis on business ethics both in college classrooms (believe me, I know. It's non-stop) and in the professional ranks and while the business professionals need to work on that we CANNOT alleviate responsibility from the consumer.
Mr. Consumer, you DO NOT have the right to belittle and abuse our employees just because you're the customer.
Mr. Consumer, you DO NOT have the right to steal from a company by demanding price reductions to which you are not entitled.
Mr. Consumer, you DO NOT have the right to cry foul play after YOU neglected to read the contracts YOU signed or neglected to read the billing statements we send you. Further, you do NOT have the right to hear what you want to hear when talking to a salesperson and then holding them to that standard. You imagined what you think you heard, and I'm NOT bound to your freakishly crazy whims.