The Customer May not Always be Right, but He Must Always be SATISFIED

For over 20 years, I have maintained a checking and savings account in Seattle at a prominent bank, one of the largest in the United States and worldwide.  According to them, I was a valued rewards customer with a high-tier “status,” which sounds good!

During this time, I never received a maintenance fee for my multiple accounts, but recently, and to my surprise, I noticed one was levied.   I took a copy of the statement and visited the bank to enquire about the charge.   The details are complex and cumbersome over a $12 fee, so I won’t bore you.   Suffice it to say, the staff told me it was their policy and that was final.    Seems the policy changed recently.

I did my best to question their policy and the way they treat a customer of over 20 years. 

However, the bottom line was to make an appointment with a “banker” for a later time to get further clarification of the policy and decide how to proceed (yes, make an appointment for a later time with a banker because there was no time to handle the issue immediately).

I felt there was no choice, so I made an appointment to return to the bank in the afternoon to meet with one of their “bankers.”  I asked for the name of whom I was to meet, and the reply was, “Not sure, one of the bankers.”  Remember the Golden Rules?  I could see this situation intensifying and unraveling quickly, and I left the bank in disappointment.

That afternoon, I returned to the bank for my appointment and was startled that the two staff members who met with me were the same as in the morning.   How amazing?   They never introduced themselves, and only after noticing their name tag and addressing them by name, one produced a business card as a form of introduction.   From her card, I realized that she was the FINANCIAL CENTER ASSISTANT MANAGER (Yes, a manager in title).

During our discussion of about 30 minutes, she continued to press the fact that the bank has made policy changes and the computer is programmed to issue the fee automatically (yes, the computer runs the business).    I may not have been right in learning after the fact, and my ignorance is not a good defense.  However, I am the customer.  

I did my best to express my concern about this and to impress on her the Golden Rules about customer satisfaction.  She agreed, but still, it was the policy.

Finally, I decided this was not productive, and for $12, both the manager and I could have made better use of the time.   I started to say thank you with a smile and would drop the issue.  To my surprise, she then offered a way to avoid future fees, and she would also refund my current fee.  Not sure what happened suddenly, but I accepted her offer.  

This is a good example where “The Customer may not always be right, but he must always be SATISFIED.”   Now, why didn’t this happen in the morning, and we could both have avoided the unproductive time and anxiety? 

The Golden Rules were established for a reason and would usually result in a Happy Ending.   Remember that Managers do things right and Leaders do the Right Thing.