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Customer Loyalty and Conflict resolution
March 5, 2008

There are volumes written about customer loyalty but nothing hits home more then your own experience. Granted the story that follows is about car rentals, but the same could be said of any graphics arts service.

A few weeks ago I was in Minneapolis and it was -35 degrees. So you can understand that I did not want to spend much time getting into or out of my rental car. As I left the airport I noticed a light was on saying that my tire pressure was low.

Considering the temp I decided to wait to the next day and I would put some air in the tire. By lunchtime the next day it was -20 and I put some air in the tire. The wind was so strong my ears felt like they were on fire. The tire went low again, I refilled it again and again my ears felt the burn.

Personally I take great comfort in knowing how to overcome problems with the companies I am loyal to because I have done it before and have been satisfied by the process and the results. I think this is true for any good customer, they most likely have had a problem and are comforted to know how the process works and have been happy with the resolution

So I called and told them to bring me another car. But apparently they had changed their procedures. Now I was told to get the tire fixed at my own expense or bring it back to the airport and I would be charged for repairs. Right away I was upset – first just because they had changed the procedure and second because they were trying to charge for something that I felt was not my fault. Sounds familiar not unlike the arguments of AA’s vs. PE’s.

So like any loyal customer I launched into a tirade about how good a customer  I was, that I had the next 8 weeks booked and I have been a loyal customer for 10 years and to get the car or say goodbye to my business.

To anyone remotely involved in customer satisfaction and loyalty this should be a HUGE RED FLAG. She called back and said that a car was on the way and when the guys got there they assured me that no damage charges would be charged to me. Whew .. I little bump in the road, figuratively speaking, nothing major, or so I thought. But the surprises kept coming and like most customers I don’t like surprises. More next time!

Posted by Howie Fenton on March 5, 2008 | Comments (0)