Different kinds of thieves

In more than 20 years of business, I can honestly say I’ve only had one customer who I felt truly burned me.

It involved one of our first-generation GPS systems and a business owner.

At first, everything worked as it should. Then he started having problems.

We texted back and forth trying to figure out what was going on, and eventually I had him send the unit back to me so I could inspect it.

The unit had water damage.

That wasn’t covered under warranty, but rather than leaving him stuck, we worked through it. He paid for a replacement board, and I sent the system back.

I still have the texts where he told me he was happy with everything.

Two days later, that changed.

He wanted a refund.

I told him to send the system back according to the return terms on our website and I would work with him.

He never sent it back.

Instead, he filed a dispute with his credit card company after using the system for more than a year.

And he got every penny back.

So he ended up with the equipment AND his money.

That one bothered me.

Not because every customer has to be happy. After more than two decades in business, I know that isn’t realistic.

What bothered me was that we spent the time troubleshooting the problem, inspected the damaged equipment, worked with him on a replacement, and were still willing to work with him on a return.

He simply chose another route.

It also taught me something.

Policies matter.

Documentation matters.

Saving emails and text messages matters.

And if I ever find myself in a situation like this again, I won’t try to handle all of it myself. I’ll get my attorney involved and let them help protect the business.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to take care of a customer, you are still going to lose one.

Thankfully, after more than 20 years and thousands of customers, I can count the experiences like this on one hand.

Actually, I can count this one on one finger.

I’ll take those odds.