I once lived in an efficiency apartment in Allentown, PA. While that may be the saddest sentence you’ve ever read, that is not the crux of my story. After moving in, I noted that the toilet seat was broken. Every time I used it, it bit my ass to remind me to call the landlord, which I did. The landlord arrived the next day to replace it. Win, right? If that were the case, it wouldn’t be a story about anything other than butt bruises.

He left and I checked out the new seat. It was blue. Nothing else in the entire apartment was blue. I was crestfallen and annoyed. What the hell?! I wasn’t just annoyed that day, but every time I saw it, I was annoyed all over again and just as strongly. It wasn’t the aesthetics that bothered me as much as the entire principle of the thing. The point for me was this: if it were his home, he wouldn’t have installed that. It would have matched.

His complete disregard for my enjoyment of my home ate at me. I didn’t feel appreciated as a tenant. And when I don’t feel appreciated, I don’t enjoy it… and I don’t want to renew my lease.

Do you do this to your customers? Do you give them service or a product you wouldn’t be happy to get yourself? Do you give scraps to people instead of the good parts? What you’re saying to them is profound. And what they are saying to you is much more polite than what they are thinking (usually).

The inverse of this is that excellent customer service makes people feel like royalty, and it makes you memorable. Instead of being outraged, people are grateful. Instead of being forever known as “the guy who installed the blue toilet seat,” you could be the “guy who vacuums your car for free when you get an oil change.” It’s your reputation. Don’t let it stink. Just remember the one-word remedy: care.

What’s your blue toilet seat story? Share in the comments.

Tags: adulthood, renting, service | Category Life in General