Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You do the job for free.
You consult the company policy again and you know you're right. The damage isn't covered under the warranty. You and the other technicians participate in a profit-sharing plan, so doing this work for free will impact your paycheck at the end of the month. You can't just go around pleasing customers at a personal cost.
But if you bill him, you could lose a lot more in the long run. He's one of your small company's biggest home security clients in the area. He signed up for all the latest devices for his sizeable home. He might make good on his threat to take his business elsewhere, or he might not. But it's not a risk you're willing to take for the sake of your professional pride. You decide not to bill him.
It's a tight month and you were counting on that work order to break even. But its loss isn't the end of your sufferings -- the customer in question has told his friends, other members of your clientele, about how you did the work for free. Those clients who were previously charged for similar work call the company to complain that its technicians are playing favorites.
The whole thing turns into a customer relations fiasco that lands you in some hot water with management. You've failed to put company policy ahead of irrational consumer demands, damaging the company's reputation all around and potentially losing more business in the long term than you've saved in the short term.
"Always ask yourself is this wear and tear of the equipment or is this malicious damage to the system?" says Becker. "If it's malicious damage, if he's taken a hammer to something, then you would charge the customer. But then you have to be prepared to get into a confrontation.
"You don't want to leave them dissatisfied, but you want to stand your ground. Always the decision is how do I satisfy this customer without the company being taken advantage of? What's fair? You have to realize the customer isn't always right. You have to insist on a fair price for the work you've done."