When The Customer Is (No Longer) Always Right

The customer is king. Everyone in the business takes that old saw as gospel. But is this tenet still true today? Is the customer always right? After all, we know that monarchs can be little tyrants. Every retailer or service provider deals with “problem children”: The customer who takes this expression literally and demands to be treated like royalty (obviously gets no respect at home). The shopper who loves to try on shoes for hours and then leaves empty-handed. The “serial wardrober” who buys a gown for a wedding and then conveniently returns it just after the event. The Airbnb renter who leaves behind a sink full of dirty dishes. The deadbeat client for whom the check is always “in the mail.” And let’s not forget the handsy diner who shamelessly abuses waitresses. So, is the customer always right? Not anymore. A bit of a palace coup is in the making. It’s quite the rage these days for customers to vent about frustrating experiences with waiters, salespeople, physicians and other service providers on sites like Yelp and Facebook. But turnabout is fair play. Providers increasingly are returning the favor as they acquire the ability to rate customers as well. Read more at Forbes.