I operate a very successful business,
but I'm not Coke or AT&T, with sales in the billions, so I can afford to be a bit idiosyncratic about the way I run it.
Sometimes a consumer is so belligerent or unreasonable that I say, you know what? I'd rather refund the jerk's money than be abused.
So....
Some time ago I was giving away a couple of free
books as bonuses for people who bought subscriptions to my membership site. For obvious reasons, it's my policy not to ship the books until the refund period (30 days) has passed.
One person, who evidently hadn't read the policy, wrote to me after two weeks to express his outrage that no books had yet arrived. His entire message was sarcasm and condescension.
I
decided: I'm not going to lick this guy's boots, and beg for the privilege of having to deal with a high-maintenance blowhard for as long as we both shall live.
So I told him I wouldn't be spoken to that way, returned his money, and forever banned him from buying any of my products.
He was stunned.
Ha.
Good.
Too extreme? Well, I can tell you this: it doesn't seem to have hurt my bottom line any.
(And admit it: you are at least slightly cheering.)
I can afford to do this because, well, Internet businesses can be run more idiosyncratically than traditional brick-and-mortar ones. But also: because I've learned how to
run successful online businesses, I'm not in a position where I have to beg and plead with Mr. Jerkface for his patronage.
Admit it, that sure sounds nice.
How to join me in this wonderful world of living on your own terms:
Tom Woods