The Customer is Not Always Right

I’ve looked far and wide but I’ve never found a perfect supplier. Sure, I’ve worked with some good ones….those that do their best to deliver defect free materials and services, on time, and at a reasonable cost. Seems like an easy task. Not really.

Not that the suppliers aren’t trying. Most suppliers want to do a good job for their customers. That’s what keeps them in business. But I have found that often the customer is at fault by not being clear on their requirements, making assumptions, or only giving the supplier a portion of the information that they need. 

This happened to me this week with an online nautical chart company. I placed an online order for a custom printed and laminated NOAA chart. An avid boater, I wanted to hang this chart in my office. The order was fulfilled quickly and accurately. But I was disappointed when I received it. I was looking for ‘art’ and they provided a very good ‘working’ chart.

I called to express my disappointment and they were very gracious. My expectations and their services were never aligned. They told me their online chart viewer was not enabled yet and that I would have seen what I was buying. I failed to call to discuss my requirements. They offered me a partial credit and told me how to adapt my purchase to meet my need. We both got off the phone happy.

Seems to all boil down to communication.