jbarad said:
I tend to agree with Surf Girl. You never know who that customer knows. She could be related to a buyer at a chain store or some such.
You're right, she could be. And when she's telling the relative ( buyer ) that she tried to return a bath/personal care product and the vendor refused, the relative/buyer just may be darn glad and give you a call because they see right there that you have firm standards related to hygiene on personal care products. On the other hand if she tells her relative that you took back soap and the vendor took it back no problem, her relative/buyer might then decide to never do business with you because of that as well.
...
I might lose 1 or even 2 customers, but in the end I think it's worth it because even though you may know that you won't now sell her returns, others might not...and think you resell returned personal care products. Which is well, GROSS :shock:
Well, what you do in that instance is let her keep her unsatisfactory soap and replace them, since you're not going to re-sell them anyway. "I'm sorry, I can't take that back (for hygiene reasons or safety rules or however the heck you want to say it if you need to clarify), but I'm going to give you you three replacement bars/your money back and a replacement bar for you to try out. Here's my card and email address - why don't you drop me a line and tell me how you like them?"
Yes, you're eating the cost. Yes, you're doing it for someone who was dumb. But you have (1) addressed her concern - to her, it's real. She doesn't think she's being an unreasonable twit. Sending her packing will not make her come to her senses, it will just make her feel bad, or embarrassed, or grumpy - none of which you want your customers to be; (2) shown that you don't take back used soap and re-sell it; (3) exceeded her expectations. You have a "no refunds" policy which you have, hopefully, clearly spelled out, but you have not sent her home empty-handed and cranky, you've given her more stuff. She can do whatever the heck she wants with the unsatisfactory soap, like putting it in her lingerie drawer so things smell nice or just putting it her bathroom to look at or whatever, and she is going to like that; (4) given her more product, which will hopefully make her into a repeat customer; (5) shown her that you give a **** what she thinks of the soap, and encouraged a bond by asking her to email you.
mr surf girl (who co-owns our business) says that for a first-time client, he'd just give them what they want (they keep the soap because you're not going to re-sell it, just give them their money back) unless they'd be happy with taking more product which is better*. For a client who already has a relationship, he'd try harder. He takes EVERYTHING back, even when he knows people are being dorks... because they come again and buy more stuff.
* You realize this, right? If you refund, you lose money. If you exchange, you break even.
I heartily disagree that it is a good idea to have a customer to walk away unhappy for the sake of the $6 or whatever it cost you to make 3 bars of soap... A couple of weeks ago, my MIL had a bad experience with some sunglasses she wanted to return. It would have cost the retailer (a drugstore) very little to make her happy. Despite the fact that she was a very regular customer there, they pissed her off and she will no longer set foot in the shop and buys her stuff elsewhere. AND I can't count how many people she has told about her bad experience - so guess how many other people might think twice about going there, and head to the competition instead? IMO, this stuff matters when you are in retail.