Is the customer always right?
Please Login to ask or answer a question, or Register if you do not have a WryteStuff Account.
Answers to this question:
As someone who has worked in customer service for a long time, I have to say that no, the customer is not always right. Often they are wrong.
But even when the customer is wrong, a customer service person has to remain polite and respectful at all times, because two wrongs don't make a right!
But two rights do make a left!
I think it takes three...
» Answer from Slim Albertson Answer given 2 years 179 days ago.No, the customer is not always right ... on the other hand, the customer is never wrong. The trick is to treat the customer with tact and dignity, and to be certain that you have validated the customer's concerns. It's a little like one of the wives on a popular sitcom once said ... the trick is to get my husband to think it's his idea!
Truthfully, there are some customers who are just plain wrong. It is how you handle these customers that makes all the difference. We call these customers "EGR" customers ... (extra grace required)
No, the customer is not always right. There are customers who like to make a customer service staff miserable. They are determined to prove their point no matter how unreasonable they are. I have worked in customer service for a long time and have seen the nice customer and the mean, unreasonable ones. The nice customers, I treat them very nicely and will do almost anything (within company's policy, of course) than to a "trouble-maker" customer. I believed that to treat unreasonable customers nicely is wrong. It is better to say good-bye to that type of customer than making the customer service personnel suffer miserably because of an abusive customer. If the customer is abusive, that customer is wrong, and customer is never always right.
Yes in most cases , but now a days they have such strict polcies because of the theifs.
Than was JC Pennys motto when I worked there back in the 60s - however some of the incidents were extreme BUT they are still in business, aren't they?
» Answer from Pankas Carter Answer given 2 years 178 days ago.No, I do not think that customer is always right, but for the business wise, they tend to worship the customer as the king. The reason is they want to retain the customer and do not want to have a bad reputation. On top of that, they do not want to have one bad customer to spread out the negative talk about their business. The bottom line, they want to have a good marketing customers. The more they have, the more business they will generate and they would bring the revenue according to the number of their customers. That is why most businesses practice the slogan, "the customer is always right". Technically, as I mentioned that customer is not right because he/she is human and human makes mistakes. Including us, we are not perfect.
In conclusion, most of the time the customer is right, but not always right.
Of course not! We have to see what goes wrong as the case. Most customers are actually silly wrong about something, a misunderstanding, a boss doesn't quite make a mistake in this position
No, but even when they one must always be polite, respectful and attempt to solve their issue equitably...it's not easy but it can be done
No.
But as a small business owner, it can be practical to TREAT the customer as if he/she was right - but try to steer him in your direction. Not easy - but always better than cofrontation.
Selected as Best Answer!
As one who prides herself with the ability to be logical and fair when it comes to customer service, I must report that the customer is not always right. The person behind the counter does have the responsibility to explain the situation in a manner which will represent the company in the most truthful way, while being polite and informative to the customers concern. Ultimately the sales person needs to create a solution that will end up with the customer wanting to return to the store because they were treated fairly, even though they were wrong.
Yes, in general customer is always right since they always have the last word. They are the one who pays so; they are really the one in charge.
In my line of work as a correctional sergeant, the customer is never right.
No, Customer is not always right but in the business world Customer is King.
Tehmina
They are if you want to stay in business... this of course is assuming the customer has a real concern. The problem is that most customer service people don't do enough homework with the client before they answer the question. You need to stick up for your company if they have provided the correct service, but, you better make sure that your client leaves the conversation in agreement with you.
nope, but we can let them think they are right most of the time.
No sometimes the customer is downright rude, partly because we are always being told that the customer is always right. This can lead a minority of customers to behave poorly.
Only when they're not wrong.
» Answer from Sherri Batts Answer given 2 years 176 days ago.The customer always has the right to think he/she is always right.
This is a tough question. The customer is the resaon that the business owner is able to make money. However, I would have to say IT DEPENDS. Each and every situation has it's different components and has to handled differently. The best way to address the issue of is the customer always right, is to have your staff trained appropriately and if a customer is 100 percent wrong, take a second and have the staff member go bring in a manager to handle the situation to hopefully diffuse the issue. But there are those customers that you don't need, and I actually read in a book one time that you can fire your customers, especially the ones that don't make you any money.
I believe it is the responsibility of the owner(or salesperson) to explain in detail all the factors of the product they are selling. To be completely honest with the customer and ask what they (the customer) want to do with the product and expect of it (the product) This is how a business should be run.
When talking about business I may say that "yes" costumer is always right all the time.
You have to answer 'Yes' if you want to keep the customer's business. Of course, the real, objective answer is 'Sometimes' but, as with love, sometimes you compromise.
I dont think so...
It depends on the customer. If they clearly don't respect you (or your service) before the business transaction has taken place, no. This happens a lot. The "my-server-or-cashier-is-my-servant" mentality. Human kindness and genuine compassion for others should be infectious or inborn. Unfortunately, far too many customers in our society are immune to it.
No, not always, that's for sure !
I would say that it depends on the situation. If the customer has knowledge about the service or product and should get a bonus or additional items; which was not given by the service staff, then the customer has a right to claim or demand for service. But if the customer wasn't aware about the system or new promotional rules, then the customer still has every right to be informed, though they are not wrong in this sense. And lastly, if the customer is demanding something which is over or more than what they should be receiving, then this scenario is definitely wrong and should be directed to the manager.
Working in construction, I have to say that the customer is not always right, but that usually is caused by a lack of information. The final decision is always theirs, so after they get all the information about an issue that you can provide, it's up to them. Hopefully, they can then make the right decision, but they don't always.
Of course not, but they must always be catered to- they are the most important beings in that place of business.
I would like to say no, but we have to serve the customer as god.
No. The customer is usually wrong but it's best not to tell them so.
Of course not....no one is always right.....However, often the objective is to make the customer THINK that they are right...!!!!
No, but the customers believes they are right in 99% of cases, of course there are a few serial complainers but they are few. You can be sure that if your customers is displaying anger, frustration, or extreme dissapointment they believe you have not delivered what they were expecting. The problem is usually poor communication and or misleading information being supplied by the seller, sometimes deliberately but often by not carefully checking and thinking through the information supplied from a laypersons point of view.
As suppliers we can always say "but look here in our contract........ you see there on page 3 of the small print....... you see you agreed to our terms etc. BUT that is not the way to go, we need to find ways to resolve these unsatisfactory situation. People would prefer to have the goods or service they expected rather than have to complain and fight legal battles.
Yes and No
yes the customer has a right to be treated with respect and if the customer feels you were out of line then you have to entertain the possibility
but if they cannot prove their position and the employee can either by witnesses or camarea footage then you cant act against the employee.
customers are the life blood of industry and they have to be sucked up to in a big way. that is a reality most kids cannot get their heads around. they have this attitude of entitlement that should never be tolerated in a work environment. but its so hard to keep minimum wage staff i suppose that they dont want to be always training so they put up with it.
customer service has suffered really badly in the past 20 years and that is the reason. you can get good customer service if you avoid the big box stores and chain restaurants in favor of smaller and more upscale businesses. they pay a little more and can attract quality people to work for them.
they also get a better class of customer so the employees are not constantly battling with trailer trash to begin with and you therefore arent as likely to catch them on a bad day
4 months
In theory yes, but in reality no. Of course, no one is always right. However, in business, you never want to argue with a customer because it makes you look unprofessional. Your goal is to get your clients/customers to keep coming back. So always go out of your way to make the customer at least feel right, even if you know they are wrong. Remember, no one, most of all, not a customer wants to be told they are wrong. At best, you'll have soothed the customer's ego and get him to come back. At worst, you'll have a disgruntled customer who may spread the word against your business. Yes, you'll be right, but think of all the customers you'll be losing as a result of being right. So yes, the customer is always right.
yep... if you're driven by customer service.
Such a fine line in there, it is hard to give a general answer. From my point of view, if the customer was not given what was expected in terms of service or goods, yes the customer has every right to complaint and be right about it. On the other hand, if the customer was provided the service/goods in a satisfactory manner, but always finds irrelevant and petty nuisances to complain about, the no, the customer is anything but right.
I agree with those who say to give the boot to those who make your life miserable. If you bend over backwards to make your customers happy, the good ones will appreciate it, never give you grief, and will stay with you. The whiners on the other hand will always bring their misery along. Time to give them the gift of good-bye. My 2 cents
Anyone who does business, whether online or offline knows with complete certainty that a customer is NOt always right...in fact more often than not they're usually wrong!
You just need to learn how you set your own parameters for how you conduct business. Always shows respect and give the benefit of the doubt to a customer...but at the same time you don't let them walk all over you.
I have been in the automobile business and my observation is that customer is right 99% of the time. We need to understand what the customer requirement well before we respond. Most times people react to a demanding customer in an exasperated manner which makes it more complex and customer turns nasty. Understand the customer first and good customer service follows automatically.
Even when the customer is wrong, we need tact and politeness even to say no.
Yes!
I have often heard this, and I must say, it shoudl be modified to "The custoemr is USUALLY right." Clearly this has to have limits because things can get out of hand. Case in point: The Ramada inn chambermaids regularly recount that guests (usually male) will have them come into the room and there they will be - completely disrobed. This is a common occurrence among the maids, I am told. The customer is not right in this case, and if this is their cheap thrill obviously something is not right upstairs. I had to handle these situations as manager of a hotel and the "customer is always right" statement got old REALLY QUICK!
"The customer is always right" is a great saying but, I believe, even Tom Peters would agree that today's customers carry this a bit too far. The customer should be assumed right; however, there should be great clarify given by management if expectations are excessive. Take these instances that I personally know happened: 1) Filenes (now Macys) - Customer dropped 14 kt gold necklace into bucket that contained some bleach. Necklace turned black. Customer returned necklace and demanded refund. She got it. Would you not consider this entirely her fault? She claimed the lock was faulty. She had no proof of purchase. 2) Also Macys - Customer lost a Movado watch and claimed the bracelet on the watch was faulty. She could produce NO PURCHASE RECEIPT. Still she insisted AND got a new watch! 3) Customer bought a kid's down jacket and, 3 years later, brought it back to LLBeans. She claimed the kid had outgrown the jacket and it was no longer satisfactory. She got a new jacket in a larger size.
I don't know what you guys think but I think these customers are dishonest and definitely not right. Even if they were not dishonest, I think "unreasonable" is not unreasonable, wouldn't you say?
"The customer is always right" is a great saying but, I believe, even Tom Peters would agree that today's customers carry this a bit too far. The customer should be assumed right; however, there should be great clarify given by management if expectations are excessive. Take these instances that I personally know happened: 1) Filenes (now Macys) - Customer dropped 14 kt gold necklace into bucket that contained some bleach. Necklace turned black. Customer returned necklace and demanded refund. She got it. Would you not consider this entirely her fault? She claimed the lock was faulty. She had no proof of purchase. 2) Also Macys - Customer lost a Movado watch and claimed the bracelet on the watch was faulty. She could produce NO PURCHASE RECEIPT. Still she insisted AND got a new watch! 3) Customer bought a kid's down jacket and, 3 years later, brought it back to LLBeans. She claimed the kid had outgrown the jacket and it was no longer satisfactory. She got a new jacket in a larger size.
I don't know what you guys think but I think these customers are dishonest and definitely not right. Even if they were not dishonest, I think "unreasonable" is not unreasonable, wouldn't you say?
In theory the customer is always right but in practice this is not so. Where the customer is often wrong it is when there expectations have not been managed correctly.
No. However when they are in the wrong then they should be dealt with politely and with respect.
No.
While you should do what you can to satisfy customers and offer outstanding service, some people are downright nasty. Being a good business person means understanding when your time should be spent accommodating, and when you're better off putting your foot down.
Of course the customer isn't ALWAYS right. But there is an art in how to best manage these customers.
The customer may not always be right, but if you are the bussiness owner you had better treat the person like he is right so he will return to your business. Bit your lip.
No. Are the shop-lifters always right? Are thiefs right? Of course not. Of course in business customers are accorded a reasonable degree of assumption of right, mainly because pleasing the customer keeps him coming back. That is often company policy, but frankly some customers abuse this and take advantage.
No. But it may help you in the long run to let them think they are.
Long response: Actually, despite the old slogan that says "The customer is always right". This just isn't true. The customer is NOT ALWAYS right at all. In fact, the customer can be wrong sometimes too as well. It's just a marketing ploy to make the/a customer feel like they are being favoured to make them feel comfortable when shoping somewhere.
Short response: No.
Having taught customer service and professional skills, I can tell you that a customer is always right (even when they are wrong). It comes down to how much you wish to keep them as a customer. If they are extremely important to your business you may want to suck it up, but don't compromise your principles. There always will be some customers that you will be better off without, just understand that bad news travels fast, and for every customer complaint you get, it will take almost 10 positive ones to counter act the one bad one.
Depends entirely on what kind of customer they are I think. Some questions to identify that include:
How much money do the spend with you?
Are they a regular customer?
Do you enjoy dealing with them?
Are they an asset to you and your business?
Is this customer preventing you from spending more time cultivating relationships with other, more valuable customers?
Taking a moment to answer all these questions can help you figure out how just how nice you should be to them and if indeed, "the customer is always right".
: )
No. I work in hospitality and yes most of the time the customer is right, but there are exceptions to every single rule. Sometimes customers are so dead wrong that it is not even funny. When they cross that line and are either trying to take advantage of you or get out of hand, then they are no longer right.
Because of sales and customer satisfaction, the customer has to be right no matter what. I personally think if you get a rude customer you should be able to just tell them to go elsewhere and then see what they do.
» Answer from Emma Fovargue Answer given 2 years 135 days ago.Sometimes.
The customer is not always right just like they are not always wrong. An acknowledgement of their concerns is usually enough to difuse the situation
In the current (February 2010) issue of Inc. Magazine they state a statistic that showed that before the current recession started, just under 50% of business owners that they polled said that in their business, the customer was always right.
Now, with fewer people buying and those people spending less, 63% of businesses answer that in their business, the customer is always right. This would indicate that businesses are fighting harder to keep customers happy.
Yes, they are the boss though they may be sometimes unreasonable/.
Having spent the last 10 years in the retail trade, I would say that the customer is not always right, but you must let them think they are.
No. They always have the advantage, but they are not always right. I used to hate hearing that from my boss when I was a waiter. It is just an invitiation to the customer to walk all over me. As a business owner I can se how this philosophy is smart, as a low wage earning employee I don't like it.
NOPE....but with good interpersonal skills you can make them feel as if they are validated which is all anyone is truly looking for most often, having done this is a win win for all involved... Happy 2010 :) Katie
No, but the customer is always "King"
In my experience as a customer service, i think not all customer always right. Employees or Business owners have the right to explain if the customer is wrong or have mistake. But this is the best to define customer they are "BOSS". =) CUSTOMER is a BOSS.
» Answer from Shelly Mayflower Answer given 2 years 129 days ago.The customer is not always right, but in the end, what the customer wants is what the customer gets.Without causing the customer to lose face when he is wrong, simply point out the right as an alternative for him to consider.
Is there truly a right and wrong? To me, it's all just a bunch of opinions. Learning to politely respond instead of reacting would definitely make for a more peaceful world.
Not necessarily. However, he has a right to be right.
» Answer from Steve Davis Answer given 2 years 126 days ago.Yes and no. As fellow human beings who you seek to support, customers are always right. They have a right to be who they are, which includes making mistakes. So their behavior at times may be wrong. If we wish to trully serve, it's important to never make them wrong, treat them right, and seek solutions that are beyond the flame of blame.
I have worked in customer service and won acclaim for how I handled them. Basically it is this. They are always right, and if you want to keep their custom you honor and deal with any issues right away.
There are just a few exceptions, like when they are intentionally being awkward with no obvious reason and are getting a thrill from being that way.
And also when they are obviously wrong, it's always possible to try ane negotiate to try and make them see your side of things.
The customer IS always right. Business exists to provide a product or service to the customer. Without customers, there is no business. Without customers, there is no revenue. If a customer doesn't like your service or doesn't like your product, you will not have that person's business.
The caveat is that the customer being right should never compromise the principles of the business. If a customer is being rude the employee of a company, that doesn't mean that the customer is right to do that.
The customer is always right means that a business exists to satisfy consumer demand.
As much as it pains me to say it, yes they definitely are! their rights are far more clean cut than that of an employee
» Answer from Jason Mankoo Answer given 2 years 118 days ago.The customer is, of course, not always right. However, we are responsible for maintaining relationships by seeing the challenge from their viewpoint. Not always easy!
customer's are not always right...
Total Answers: 73, Total Page Views: 1,087.» Answer from Thomas Kong Answer given 2 years 115 days ago.In my job as a trader, the custy is always right. Whether or not he/her requests make sense is irrelevant and I believe the same holds for a lot of service oriented roles.
If the custy is to be proved wrong for the sake of pride and fairness the simple outcome or deliberation question would be: "how important is this customer and should we lose him/her because of pride?"
The best answer has been selected.
The WryteStuff Q&A section is for entertainment and civil discourse only. As always, if you need professional advice, seek the advice of a professional.
