"The customer is always right": do you really agree with this statement?

1. 96

   Alessio Ganciposted 7 years ago

   "The customer is always right": do you really agree with this statement?
   
   You open a cafe or a cool restaurant and people may criticize you for your prices, without knowing you are covering management costs and you are trying to make a profit. In addition customers do not only pay for food, but also for: cleanining services, the space they are occupying (at the end, it is like you are "renting" a table), the panorama (if you can see it), the service in general, and for the moment in general.
   
   However many people still believe "customer is always right", like a commerciant would have no rights, but he is only "someone who only wants your money". Do you agree?
   
   

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2. 86

   tamarawilhiteposted 7 years ago

   I would say the customer is usually right. But there is a business, and one customer is not the business. That's why a business owner might make a cute smiley face of red and blue flavoring on a snow cone for one child but won't spend five minutes making a fancy design while five other people wait in line.

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3. 94

   lisavollrathposted 7 years ago

   Ugh. I've worked retail. The customer is NOT always right. I've had customers scream at me, question my parentage, and throw merchandise at me. That kind of thing is never right.
   
   I think the expression "the customer is always right" means "try to make the customer happy, even if you have to bend your usual policies". Some customers just won't ever be happy, no matter how much you try to please them. Once they've decided they don't like something, their mission seems to be to make everyone at the business as miserable as they are. That customer is never right.
   
   I do agree that if you're in a service industry, you should try to make customers as happy as possible, given the restraints of doing business.  I don't think "the customer is always right" means that customers should tell you how to run your business.

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4. 96

   CYong74posted 7 years ago

   Could I share this? This came from a senior. I run a small biz myself too.
   
   The customer is always right. But note, the "CUSTOMER." There's a hell lot of people who have a lot to criticize about everything, but these almost always tend to be the ones who would never buy from you again no matter what, or who would give you so much grief in that one contact it's not worth selling to them. In other words, these aren't customers. Identifying who the real customers are is thus what defines a savvy businessman. You must know whom you should listen to and whom you should ignore.

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5. 82

   dashingscorpioposted 7 years ago

   
   
   No the customer isn't always right.
   The customer wants whatever it is (they) want.
   As the owner of a business you have the right to dictate what products and services you're willing to offer your customers.
   If your policy is to offer (store credits) and not refunds post it!
   If it were up to some customers they'd want the right to take food home in containers from an "all you can eat buffet".
   The customer has the right to go somewhere else!

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