The Good Suffering for the Bad!

I remember in primary school I was in the most badly behaved class and as a result we got a lot of punishment. I say ‘we’ even though in most cases not all of us were guilty of doing anything wrong.

I really detested being punished simply because, ‘The good must suffer for the bad.”

So fast forward a few years and the lessons I learnt back then still apply, often consumers are given a raw deal because of prior bad behaviour of others. A store owner told me she no longer gives credit because of a bad experience and now all her customers must pay their bill in full.

Wait a minute that bad experience wasn’t with me so why do I have to suffer?

The truth is there is a common knee jerk reaction to bad experiences that makes persons feel that if it happened once so it will happen again so they see the  need to protect themselves.

While I understand the sentiment, companies must ensure that their practices do not alienate their valuable customers. If you have a good track record with the company, I believe that there should be some counter measures to ensure that there is no blanket effect that makes everyone suffer regardless of their actions.

What about accountability?

Instead of punishing the many because of the irresponsibility of a few, why not find a way to make them accountable for their actions?

We live in an increasingly technology driven world where new gadgets are constantly being designed.

If delinquency for example is a problem, there are numerous ways to collect that would force the customer to comply. Garnishing wages might not be a popular but it is an option as well as accepting small deposits and providing an amnesty period to encourage repayment without prosecution or fees.

I never thought being punished for something I did not do was fair and I still don’t so those companies who insist on lumping loyal and delinquent customers together need to do better!

What’s your take? Let me hear from you!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley

Gleaner online Writer

Tags: customer loyalty