After weeks of rain and travel up and down Mt. Hood for snowshoeing and sledding, my car was in desperate need of a bath. So when the sun came out Tuesday, I got in line along with many others at the car wash, looking forward to seeing my sparkling, cherry red paint again.
When I got home and out of the car, however, I noticed that there was still plenty of brake dust on my wheels and streaks of dried dirt on the rear window and around the license plate.
“Hey,” I grumbled, “I paid $10 for this wash, wax and rain protection. Where’s my shine?”
As soon as I caught myself complaining, I remembered the sign that’s underneath the green light at the car wash exit. It says: “If you’re not completely satisfied, we’ll happily rewash your vehicle for free.”
I drove back to make good on the offer.
As soon as I pulled in, the attendant smiled and asked, “Is this a rewash?”
When I nodded, he said, “That’s what I thought. We have lots of them today. With so many cars, it’s hard to meet everyone’s standards first time around.”
And, as promised, he happily sent me through the $10 cycle again.
To be honest, if my car wash didn’t have that sign for me to read every time I went through, I’m not sure I would have gone back to ask them to clean my car again. It’s more likely that I’d have gone to a different car wash next time.
But now the business has solidly earned my trust. I will go back without hesitation.
We all make mistakes. And sometimes our performance or products don’t meet customers’ expectations. While most companies and small business will try to right a wrong if asked, many don’t let customers know how important their satisfaction is.
Invite your customers to be happy; it makes them feel good. Communicate your guarantee to them; it earns their trust. And when they take you up on your offer, do like the car wash attendant and cheerfully deliver.
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