One thing I have found out is that most clients do not always want to read or use emails. They would rather speak with you on phone. Anyway, I have learnt to state clearly our TOS to all clients. Thanks for the contribution

If you did this, then what happened was the customer’s fault, and I won’t take responsibility for it. We have had a few customers even lose their domain names to scenarios similar to this. Some gave the excuse that they did not read their mails for a long time and so did not see the renewal notices. Others had one issue or the other.

But they were mostly sensible enough not to make us look like the bad guys. The few who were dishonest enough to attempt to blame us were politely told that they were wrong to do so. We have a contract: we remind you; you before so-so date.

Once we had done our part, our obligations were met. If the customer chooses to migrate to another webhost, its his call and we assist him make the transition as stressless as possible. We will stay polite, courteous, and helpful, but we have a zero tolerance for manipulators.

Business is about mutual respect and trust. That we serve people does not necessarilly make us their slaves who must grovel.

While customers are important to the running of any business, they are not king. At least not in my books.

It is true that some customers are not informed. They may not even understand what they want per time. But if they face a challenge just by using your service, it is your work to accept the responsibility to clean the mess.

For instance, the client that I mentioned in my write-up got a mail that he should renew his hosting account but instead placed order for a new one. When I spoke with him on phone, he insisted that he spoke with one of us on phone who told him to place another order. This, definitely, is not the reflection of what happened. But I still had to accept the responsibility that the mistake comes from us.

If you find yourself in this kind of situation, what will you do?

The first point you gave in your list says: Customers are always right.

The problem I have nwith that statement is that it simply is not true. If it is not true, why then do we use it/ Why not use, say, Always treat customers with respect?, or Customers always deserve respect and consideration?

Over the years, I have dealt with situations in which the customer was clearly wrong – and I had to tell tham so. I put it in diplomatic-speak, nice words, put on my best smile, and put some warmth into my voice.

In this part of the world in which a lot of people are not properly informed, customers often make demands that are outside of your jurisdiction. In which case, they have got something wrong. It is part of our job to provide enlightenment and education.

Is it that we simply picked up that one-liner because that is what the business schools and books teach? If so, we may need to change it. What say ye?