I read recently how more online retailers are telling customers who want to return an unwanted purchase to just keep it, and their money will be refunded. My initial guess was it cost them more to accept the return then to just write it off.
But there’s another reason: Goodwill.
Imagine buying something, requesting a return, and suddenly you are gifted with that product. Sure, it’s unwanted or perhaps doesn’t fit, but rather than go through the hassle of a return, you can either find a use for it or give it away. Either way, a positive experience and huge dollop of goodwill ensues. You feel safe with that vendor and are far more likely to make a purchase in the future.
Bonus!
Compare that with this experience I had recently:
In late November I purchased a gift from an online company called For Every Gift. Within two hours of receiving the item, I followed the instructions on their website and requested a return. No response. Two days later I made a second request. No response. It was only when I sent a third request that I got an e-mail offering me 70% refund instead of the 100% promised on the website (they claimed I did not request the refund within 24 hours, which is their policy). This has now escalated into a conflict that not only wastes both party’s time but results in the loss of a future customer and my writing to you about my experience with For Every Gift. I can’t tell you not to purchase from For Every Gift but given that you have heard my experience in dealing with For Every Gift, odds are you won’t make any purchases from For Every Gift.
As the saying goes, happy customers tell three people while unhappy customers tell ten…or in my case, thousands!
Alternatively, had they been more gracious and less stern, this simple transaction would be over. Had they said, “Go ahead and keep the product. Even though it’s of crappy quality and looks nothing like the picture online, we value your business more than the satisfaction we would get from ramming this down your throat,” I would not be sharing this information and you would never know not to buy from For Every Gift.
In our line of work, it might not be feasible to tell the customer to just keep the order. But if you can find a way to repurpose the job or to reuse it or even donate elsewhere, the goodwill created will far outweigh the cost of fighting the customer over who is right and who is wrong.
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Bill Farquharson will have forgotten about this experience long before you read this blog, so it is probably safe to reach out to him at 781-934-7036 or bill@salesvault.pro
