Customers. The blessing and the migraine.

Here is the reality.

A customer recently pushed hard for a specific accessory. I explained what would work better. I explained why. I laid it out clearly.

They wanted what they wanted.

So I ordered it.

It was a special order item. Not something I pull off a shelf and send back if feelings change. We went back and forth in writing. Every step documented. Every concern addressed.

Fast forward just over 90 days.

Now the tune changes.

“You were right. We should have gone with your recommendation.”

They want to exchange it.

I cannot return it. The window is closed. The supplier will not take it back. So I am not taking it back either.

That is not being difficult. That is being responsible.

Here is something I learned a long time ago:

The customer is not always right.
The customer is always the customer.

My job is to:

• Give honest recommendations
• Explain tradeoffs clearly
• Document decisions
• Deliver what was agreed to

Your job as the customer is to listen, weigh the advice, and own the final call.

When I push back, it is not ego. It is experience. Twenty years in business has shown me what works and what creates problems later.

If you choose differently after hearing the advice, that is fine. You are allowed to. Just understand that ownership travels with that decision.

I will stand behind my work.
I will not absorb the cost of reversing a decision that was insisted on in writing.

Respect goes both ways.