Today a supervisor from a recreation facility came by the office late in the day. He was expressing some dismay in that a customer demanded a refund which strictly by policy should not have been made. But because the customer made a loud protest taking it higher and higher in the organization, a refund was finally given. This raises the question, is the customer always right? The answer clearly has to be “no.” Some customers can be macho bullies foisting their intimidating tactics on the organization until right caves-in to bravado. I remember one time when I was hyper; I went to a Wal-Mart late in the evening with an item I wanted to return. Customer service was closed. I demanded a refund right away from a line of employees until finally reaching a manager. She heard me out (“I bought it here, I’m going to get a refund here and now”). But she rather sternly said, “No, you will need to come back when customer service is open.” I am now grateful that she maintained company policy despite my ill-mannered behavior. I have greater respect for an organization that simply realizes the customer is not always right and stands by policies essential for operating their business. “The customer is always right” approach rewards bullying, selfishness in its ugliest forms, and outright dishonesty. We hear a lot about entitlement culture. Surely this is a form of it. The attitude “I’m a customer so you owe me anything I want and you’d better smile and like it” is surely not the way to develop a society with strong moral character or respect for organizations. Both the organization and the customer have their respective duties.
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The Agonies and Ecstasies that daily keep our brains buzzing and hearts compassionate
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