“The key is when a customer walks away, thinking,” Wow, I love doing business with them, and I want to tell others about the experience.” ~ Shep Hyken

(And sometimes the opposite happens)

 

In an age where there are literally 100’s if not 1000’s of places to get your news, you would think the value of a paying customer would be fairly high.

Think again…

While perusing my credit card statement I noticed a charge for $41.17 from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). My first thought was “Whoa, wait a minute, that is supposed to be for $4.17 for a 4-week period not $41.17!”

So, I did what any normal person would do, I called. Whereupon I was be informed that my subscription automatically renewed and was now 987% more per month!!!

So, I asked what any normal person would ask in a situation like this: “Did you send out a reminder my year old subscription was renewing at a 987% increase?” They said “No, it was in the original agreement from a year ago.”

So I did what any normal person would do and said, “Cancel it!” Whereupon I was transferred to the cancellation department. After a bit of discussion, I was offered and agreed to a 100% increase and settled for $8.25 every 4 weeks.

That was until…

Well things were going well until I was informed that my new subscription couldn’t start till September because I was charged for the month of August (on the same-day I was calling). “No you don’t understand I said, ‘I don’t want the print edition, I don’t want to pay a 987% increase for even 1 month.”

Which is when I was told the monthly charge is non-refundable. WHAT????

You mean the we won’t remind you, going to gouge you, monthly non-refundable charge? Yup! Wait a minute, you mean we hope and expect you to forget the small print from a year-old agreement non-refundable charge?.

So I did what any normal person would do, I cancelled and said as politely as I was capable, “Thank you for your time, I will dispute this charge and never do business with you again, have a wonderful day!”

Short Memories…Not Always

In a time when the economy shows signs of tightening and inflation has pushed customers and consumers to the brink of where they are now balking and walking away, customer loyalty is at a premium.

They say folks have short memories and it is a matter of time before they forget and go back to their old habits.

Think 9/11 in 2001, the Tech-Boom in 2000, and the Housing Crash in 2008, they all seem so long ago. And yet, the banks went right back to selling another form of the derivative, yes the same type of derivative that helped cause housing bust just 7 short years later in 2015.

It’s In My Control

However, I believe that a high percentage of people have much longer memories, especially if they feel they’ve been screwed over. Think Bud-Light.

The difference is in the fact that we cannot control world events, but we can control where we shop and whom we do business with.

What’s even worse is that a lot of folks believe greed is driving inflation (known as greedflation).

Why else is McDonalds all of a sudden now offering you your choice of a sandwich, small fry, 4 pc chicken and a small drink for $5 when when not too long ago it would have been over $13.00 plus tax?

Was it their kindness, generosity, compassion, and wanting to help? Hell no, it was the fact they pushed their customers as far as they could before they got a backlash which registered as a reduction in sales and profits.

In other words, greed drove them, till they drove the customer away.

This is the same thing that drives a news organization to hide the renewal reminder and force you to swallow a 987% non-refundable increase in their monthly charge!

So How About You? 

In these somewhat tough times where we are all feeling the heat and pressure of daily living, are you nickel and diming your employee’s, your employer, your customers’, your landscaper, etc.?

OR

Are you staying focused on building long-term relationships and drawing people to you and your business instead of away from you and your business?

I sincerely hope that you are staying close to your values and continuing to conduct yourself and your business with truth, honesty, integrity, and a genuine concern for others even though it might be a challenge at times.

In other words, don’t let greed drive you or your business!

Summary

I will never do business with the Wall Street Journal again, there are way too many other choices that offer a more unbiased take on the our world. Yes, all reporters have biases and some publications allow less.

If I had to wrap up my experience with the Wall Street Journal I would do it as simply as this:

 

   Non-Refundable Monthly Charge:  $41.17

                     My Time on the Phone:  $83.30

      Money Wasted Buying the WSJ:  $50.04

________________________________________________

Opportunity to Share My Experience in a Blog: PRICELESS!

 

Till next time…keep an eye out for those low-low introductory offers and auto-renewable subscriptions!