Recently, I had the opportunity to observe a manager of a large, electronics store deal with emotional customers to a positive result. My daughter and I were the emotional customers.
My daughter, Julia, had arranged for a new smart phone to replace her aging iPhone that had a small mechanical problem. Her plan had a replacement option for such situations. Although she was happy with her iPhone, the clerk at the store suggested that she try an android. She took the advice and within 12 hours it was a shattered mess on the floor. Turns out that she dropped the new phone and it fell apart. The phone was inoperable.
The next morning, desperate without contact with the outside world, she went to the local store to get the problem resolved. Her point was that the phone, although not “bullet proof”, should be able to withstand “normal” wear and tear such as the occasional dropping on the floor. Her plan, she argued, should cover the breakage since she had a replacement option in case of a mechanical or electronic failure. The clerk at the store did not agree. He advised her that she could buy a new phone (several hundred dollars) and the store would give her a $100 credit or she could have the old one repaired (estimated at between $200 and $300). When Julia objected, the clerk simply told her that was all he could do. Read more ›
