Staples had a sale on computer remotes. Regular price $74.99, on sale for $19.99 — a $50.00 savings. I already had one, but at that price, it made sense to get a back-up.

I dropped by on the way home — unfortunately I arrived at 5 minutes past closing time. The doors were open, people were shopping and cash registers were open.

Unbelievable. In this dire economy companies are still telling customers “Sorry, I can’t do that, it’s our policy.” Can you really afford to push your customers away because of some stupid misguided policy? Really?

Last Saturday I went to a local dim sum restaurant to celebrate my friend Mary’s birthday. There were 10 of us dining and we ordered A LOT of food. One of the guests asked for low sodium soy sauce. He was told “Sorry, that is only for people who are eating sushi.” We were stunned.

Every now and then you’ll have a customer who disagrees with one of your policies. No matter what the policy is, don’t justify or defend it from your company’s point of view.

For example, maybe your service department has a fee for inspecting the products you sell. And unless it’s covered by warranty, the customer has to pay the inspection fee. If the customer balks at the fee, don’t justify the fee by saying: “Our technician needs to get paid for his time.”

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Meet your customers where they are.

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

Do any of these sound familiar?

The doctor’s office that makes you present an insurance card every time you are there even though the information is the same. The insurance agent who insists you meet in person at their office. The contractor who says “I’ll be there between 8am and 4 pm” and is still late. The restaurant hostess who will not seat you until all the people in your group have arrived. The salesman who only talks about his products and never asks you what you’re trying to accomplish. The company website that has no phone numbers or emails to contact them.