Absolutely, I used to have to deal with customers at Home Depot who may have spent several thousands of dollars on a kitchen remodel that went wrong. It happens. Initially, I was afraid of talking with them, but in the end, I took problem situations from other department managers too. People just want to be acknowledged, treated with respect, and heard.

I always made sure I gave my name twice, so they knew I was not trying to shirk them. I allowed them to say what they felt, empathized with them, and asked permission to contact them back later that day after I took whatever actions and made whatever phone calls and sent emails that I could. I always promised to get back to them within a certain time that day, even if I had no more information. I would get back to them and state that, and what the next steps were. In the end, unhappy customers became happy customers and some of the best advertisements money could not buy.

When I was in management there, we had a figure of a customer's worth in terms of how much a customer's lifetime spending would be - $75,000. It always amazed me seeing someone being jacked around over a dollar or two at checkout lines or other situations at other retail establishments. You are really going to lose a potential $75,000 over a dollar or two!

That was in a past lifetime LOL!