Hi all. I know this is probably a really easy answer, but I just need some reassurance so I can feel confident in executing.
I own a gift shop… boutique… all around badass store. A couple days ago, a customer, who is a bit of a regular, bought a pair of wine glasses. My sweet little employee came in today to a voicemail from said customer saying that she shattered the wine glasses she purchased when she got them home. She wants to know if we can replace them, I’m assuming for free?
Money has been tight this year. Scary tight. I feel like the old me would be like, “Yeah, come on in, I’m sorry they broke! I’ll replace them.” But the new me, the one who’s more afraid with the money situation, is wondering if there’s a very nice way to tell her that she broke them, she has to buy new ones? Or should I even do that? Should I replace them for free?
Please help. 😭
I sell jewelry and sometimes I’ll get a customer who ordered something a couple years ago and then through their own negligence broke the chain or went swimming in a chlorinated pool wearing silver or something like that. Often I’ll offer to give them a replacement at cost and shipping… which is usually less than half the retail price.
Everyone has been very pleased with that arrangement. They know the accident was their fault, and they realize that if I give them something for free then I end up paying for their mistake. So me not making any profit off the replacement strikes them as fair and generous. They are always very grateful and say they’ll tell their friends about us, which is more than worth it for me.