Is the Customer Always Right ?

Having worked for several in a job where helping members out is something that occurs just about every time I work. Generally, whenever a member has had an issue, I try to work towards a compromise in that suits both the rules and the members request, attempting to keep in mind that the customer is “always right” as it is their money that allows me to continue to have a job. However, recently I came across a situation in which the compromise was simply unreachable. The issue was resolved to an extent which satisfied the man and myself, however it was not this conflict that had upset me. Following the resolution of this conflict, the man approached me, and, after apologizing, said that some blame was to be placed on me for being so unwavering, a thought which blew my mind. He stated that some rules were over the top and that I should learn to better listen to the customer. It was at this point when the thought crossed my mind, “Is the customer always right?”.

There are many circumstances in which it is best to agree with the customer. Things such as the details of an order at a restaurant, house cleaning requests in a hotel room, and other such specifications in which the customer may have needs above the product that need to be attended to. However, for as many instances in which the customer is right, there are equally many, if not more, instances in which the customer is not educated in the job well enough to be correct over the employer. A customer is unaware as to how the food is supposed to be cooked, or what other procedures are to be followed with certain actions, such as how clothes were supposed to be folded and such.

It is this that shows how the customer is not always right, especially nowadays in the world of high technology, and with the ever evolving world.

Featured Image: “Unhappy Customers” by Michael Coté (cote) @ flickr