There is an old saying that goes something like, “You can’t please everyone all the time.” Any small business owner can tell you that this statement is more than true. You can have the best quality product, the best service in the world and a smile on your face and you will still get complaints and you might even run into problem customers who aren’t going to be happy no matter what you do. Here are a few helpful things you can keep in mind the next time you run into a problem customer. Remember, no matter what happens, stay calm.
First, one of the great things about eBay is that they have a whole system in place to deal with disputes between sellers and buyers. If you have ever sold anything on eBay, you know that there are safeguards in place to ensure that both people get what they want out of the transaction. Before you open up your eBay storefront, make sure you understand exactly how the system works, how eBay makes their decisions on who gets what and what your rights are as a seller. It is only a matter of time until you need assistance, so it is good to know how it works before you actually need it.
One of the worst things that can happen to any business, either a brick and mortar store or an online one, is bad word of mouth. You can’t stop the fact that you are going to have transactions that don’t go as planned, but you can control your behavior during a testy encounter with an angry customer. It is always a good idea, no matter what, to stay positive, stay polite and stay kind. Even if you are swearing up a storm as you type a polite and courteous response on your keyboard, you are only as good as your reputation, so treat it well.
Often times, people can miscommunicate online, and it can appear that one person is trying to rip the other person off. More times than not, however, one person is imagining things that aren’t really there. It could be a case where the buyer is on vacation or maybe they had a family emergency, and they haven’t been able to get back to you. Until you know for sure that a buyer is not coming through like they should, don’t assume someone is intentionally trying to rip you off.
The eBay website has a different set of rules for items that are sold via auction and ones that are sold straight from your store. Make sure you understand exactly how eBay works and how the rules differ in case you need eBay to work as a mediator for a problem sale.
Out of every 1000 transactions you have on eBay, maybe two or three of them are going to not go as planned. It would be the same ratio if you worked in a store in a mall or if you worked at a store online, so know your rights, know the system and above all, always be nice, and your problems should be limited.
