While running errands today, I presented my American Express card at two different merchants, with radically different results.
At the dry cleaner, I was told flatly, “We don’t take that.” Ouch. The rejection was so emphatic, he might have well have said, “Your money’s no good here.”
Next stop, Penzey’s Spices. When I offered my American Express card, the cashier smiled broadly and said, “We take everything else .” No apology necessary – she just gently guided me toward a solution that worked for both of us. I recalled similar experiences at Penzey’s in the past; clearly their staff has been trained well.
While the end result was the same in both cases, the precise words used made an enormous difference in my feeling about the store. So it is with guarantees and disclaimers. It’s understandable that certain stipulations are necessary when dealing with live plants. A carefully crafted guarantee can still incorporate those restrictions while leaving the customer with a good feeling about the transaction.
For some tips on how to do so, have a look out our May 2010 blog post on My Favorite Plant Company Guarantees.
