The Customer is NOT always right!
There are lots of things that make me “see red”.
For example, I hate being told a “bare faced” lie. It happens … and sometimes it isn’t deliberate … it just happens, a person says something and then becomes committed to it, and they may even become convinced that it is really true (… which raises an interesting philosophical question … is it really “a lie”?).
The most frequent example of this is when something goes wrong and people want to shift the blame somewhere else. My attitude is that I would rather know the truth … don’t hide something, don’t try to evade responsibility … yes, there may well be consequences for making a mistake – but they will be far more serious if they try to hide something from me, and I find out later on.
Another of my pet hates is the phrase “The customer is always right”. I have heard this SO MANY times … even from people who should know better … and it just simply isn’t true.
For example, on one occasion I was in a seminar and a lecturer used the phrase, so when it was time for questions I tackled her about it. “What about when the client lies to you?, or steals from the hotel?, or makes an improper suggestion to the pretty (or handsome) member of staff?” Her reply incensed me even more … “I usually tell my students: ‘The client is always right – even when they are wrong’”.
Why did it worry me so? Apart from the fact that the client sometimes does do things which are wrong, (even criminal), or simply make a mistake, it is demeaning to all those involved (client, staff, bystanders … everyone) to adopt the approach that they are always right. They are not God!
The client, however, does have rights. They are paying for goods and services … and they have they right, for example, to receive goods and services accordingly. They are consumers and they are protected by law. They have the right to receive the good and services for which they have paid. They should be in accordance with the advertised goods and services – and any agreement or contract. They should be concomitant to the price they have paid. They should be of quality and suitable for the purpose for which they were intended.
More than that, the client has the right to be treated with respect and consideration. They right to be understood. For example, if they arrive in the middle of the night after an eight hour flight, and had a long wait in the airport for the immigration procedures to be completed, for their luggage to arrive – and maybe some of it has gone missing – then they might well be tired and irritable … but that doesn’t give them the right to be rude and offensive to the member of staff manning the reception desk.
They also have the right to complain when something goes wrong, or doesn’t work. In fact, although I would prefer nothing to go wrong, I actually welcome feedback … I would rather a client told us about such things so that we can try to redress the problem, make amends, and take remedial action to prevent a reoccurrence.
They even have the right to be mistaken. We all make mistakes. But they don’t have the right to “carte blanche” – a “blank cheque” – just because they are a client.
A recently published handbook for owners of homestays (a sort of Bed and Breakfast) in Kyrgyzstan asked the question: “Are you prepared to abide by the principle that the customer is always right?”, which struck me as an improvement …
Bishkek