By John Matonich
Do we no longer expect ethical behavior from the companies that compete for our business? I know it is a lost cause when it comes to politics, but I still expect more out of others, but not sure why.
I was watching a little bit of TV the other evening and a commercial appeared several times during the program I was watching. That isn’t unusual, but the content of the commercial really bothered me as it was twisting some facts about its competitors while glossing over the same issues in their own company.
The commercial was about a guy who wrecked his car. That was certainly unfortunate, but as he explained, to make matters worse he only received a depreciated value for his car rather than a replacement. He indicated that when he asked his agent about it, the agent said he must have chosen the wrong insurance plan. The guy brought it all to a head when he looked at the camera and said, “No, I guess I picked the wrong insurance company.” The behind-the-scenes announcer went on to say that if this car-less dude had picked his company’s new car replacement plan, he would have gotten an equal or better car to replace the one he busted up.
I had to shake my head at that statement. It seems that even though this company would like you to believe that you would get an equal or better car with their insurance, it was qualified by saying only if you chose the new car replacement plan. It seems that the same complaint the dude had about his company’s plan wouldn’t be any different if he had the ad sponsor insurance unless he chose this special plan.
I guess this insurance company was hoping I was dumb enough to fall for the bait and switch to the plan they were glossing over on their commercial even though in reality it was exactly the same type of plan as the one they had an actor complaining about. I wonder how many people fall for this garbage and then find themselves in the same boat.
I have no respect for this company as I think they left their ethical standards in one of the uncovered wrecked cars. It disappoints me that we used to be able to trust and rely on many of these companies but today we spend more time with fine print than we do with the actual product.
That isn’t the way it once was. I worked in a Ben Franklin five-and-dime while in high school and learned the value of treating people with respect from day one. The owner of the store did a great job of teaching his employees about the value of ethical treatment of our customers.
A lady once came in while I was working and wanted to return a pair of sneakers due to poor craftsmanship. I looked them over and they weren’t poorly made, they were simply worn out. The treads were gone and you could see they were stretched out from a growing foot. Her young son was with her and I could see he was a growing boy. I tried to explain that her shoe issues weren’t construction-related, but she wasn’t having any of it. She asked to see the owner. I quickly went and got him.
He took one look at the shoes and apologized to the lady for the poor quality. He told her to go pick out a new pair without any additional cost. She smiled and headed for the shoe aisle. Shortly thereafter she headed out the door with a new pair under her arm and her growing son in tow.
I looked at the owner and shrugged my shoulder. He looked back at me and told me I was right that the shoes were simply worn out, but this lady shopped in the store about every day and spent a fair amount of money. He then walked me over to the shoe aisle and showed me the price of the shoes. Looking at their low cost, I had to agree it was worth her being happy and continuing to shop with us. It was a valuable lesson about being a good business person who wasn’t afraid to give back. It is a lesson that obviously didn’t make its way to Insurance Company School.
And that’s the situation as I survey it …
Image credit: Aidan Bartos on Unsplash
To bad someone didn’t teach the customer some ethics.
Good point, Jim. I thought the same thing, but it wasn’t worth a battle…
My wife works in retail for a local business. Customer is always right. I could tell you some unbelievable stories but I would be typing all day!
Sometimes it costs a dime to make a penny ….. in the short run.
In the long run, that dime will come back to you ten fold.
That’s exactly what the store owner felt and I think he was right. The lady was a regular customer for many years…
I worked across the street at the grocery store. My boss was Dick Vittone. He taught me lessons and values that I have taken with me to this day.
Oh yes..when I find a handy man, auto mechanic, doctor etc who gives me a full explanation and options for fixing an issue and different price points, I’m a customer for life. Seems that a warm body, and I don’t fault them they want to work, is all the company wants. Someone who knows their product/profession and can give you help without just a hard sell is a gem.
I agree, Suze. I try to do the same here in my wood shop. I would rather over communicate than the reverse…
As a former insurance agent, those types of commercials make my head explode! Just like “accident forgiveness”. They make it sound like it’s included at no cost. Au contraire mon frere!
My 13 year old self had an argument with one of our regular customers, and proved with out a doubt I was correct. He then stormed out the front door. My Dad (who witnessed only the last few seconds of the argument) then taught me a lesson that I have passed on to many others. “Son, I liked the way you handled that. We do not have to take any Bulls**t from the customers. We can always go bankrupt.”
I remember a story that Wally Zender told about ethics. When he first started his business in the 1950’s or so would go to Germany and negotiate with the various vendors in Germany about their products. They would come to an agreement on price and other items in the deal.
Then they would shake hands and both sides would happy. Everything was worked out without lawyers, complicated contracts and other legal contracts.
Then in the 1970’s or so everything changed.
I believe that politicians/ambassadors and others set up treaties to regulate trade. Then that involved lawyers to make sure that everything was done honestly.
I understand… most of what I did in 35 years was with a handshake… I could tell who that wouldn’t work for and had a contract for a select few…
I understand… most of what I did in 35 years was with a handshake… I could tell who that wouldn’t work for and had a contract for a select few…
There used to be a famous old bar in Boston. High on the wall, the owner painted a picture of himself (looked a little like Groucho Marx). And, he painted the bar’s motto: “THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS WRONG.”
Never sell your soul for minimum wage. Never give in to people who try to scam you. If your business is any good at all, you will thrive without the selfish dishonest pricks who try to take advantage. Boot them right out of your store. Treat your employees like customers.
Customers usually want and need some advice when they come in to look and maybe buy. A very smart guy, Tom (same name as I, but a different guy), once told me me about different approaches to selling.
Tom said there is a Northern American approach, where the sales person acts as an expert, and tries to inform the customer. That is opposed to the Southern American approach, where the sales person compliments what the customer already knows, and then maybe sneaks in some helpful info.
Both approaches work, if done well. But, nothing works with some customer who wants to take advantage. Nothing works. Boot them out. How many guitars will they ever buy? Zero.