“When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another—–”
This Declaration of Independence applies to employers, clients and customers as well. When you’ve had enough of a tyrannical boss, a recalcitrant client, or a thieving customer, it is your right and duty to say, “I’ve had enough. YOU’RE FIRED!”
Who ever said “The Customer is Always Right” was a fawning, sycophantic wimp.
I was with an ad agency that had a big profitable account where the ad manager was a moral deviant. He delighted in making us miserable. I talked with our president, who wrote this on his pad as he was making the decision:
As I sat lone and musing, a friend came up and said, Cheer up, things could be worse. So I cheered up, and sure enough, Things got worse.
So he got the account group together and said, “He who angers you controls you.” He made the hard but joyous call and severed the relationship. We replaced that account very soon with a better one.
I was the head of customer service at Target Stores. They are very kind to their customers, meeting them more than half way on their problems. The benefit of the doubt is theirs.
But Target is not a jerk. While we took back almost everything, we drew a line; we recognized the repeaters and told them politely that they would be happier not shopping here any more. (“Try Kmart—”) I saw a lot of sweat-stained garments that “were never worn.” My favorite was the unused crock pot that began to reek from the chicken inside.
Small firms can be devastated by the loss of any client, so it’s understandable that they endure untold miseries. It’s a quantum leap when they first stand up and say,
“No more. There is some crap I will not stand.” Bite the bullet and get rid of the problem. Freedom comes next, and more business.
George Lemmond
