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Buying Back Customers

Written by: Don Doman

Article Overview: Five other peoples joined us for dinner. My wife and I ordered “medium rare.” We were served “well done.” Three others in our group weren’t happy with their dinners as well. I didn’t cross the establishment off my list. I complained.

Buying Back Customers

Five other peoples joined us for dinner. My wife and I ordered “medium rare.” We were served “well done.” Three others in our group weren’t happy with their dinners as well. I didn’t cross the establishment off my list. I complained.

I’m a writer. I write. I complain. I’m also a teller. I tell people. I tell people when I’m happy. I tell people when I’m irritated. I tell people about my experiences. Most people are simply tellers. They tell their friends about places where they should go, and they tell about places they shouldn’t go.

My little group was out for a good time. The place was packed. It took ages to get our dinners. The waitress didn’t even know how to open a bottle of wine. She must have been brand new. She was friendly, and looked like a hard worker.

I’m not sure how much money we spent, collectively, but I know that we shared three bottles of wine ($25.00 a bottle) around the table. There were some mixed drinks and the food of course.

The restaurant had a website. I hate businesses that don’t have websites. They can’t bother? They can’t afford it? To me, the lack of easy communication via the net is a good reason for not giving them my business. I went to the website and wrote my comments. I only complained for my wife and me, however.

I received a call two days after submitting my complaint. I was offered a gift certificate for $20.00. I probably could have demanded more and received it, but I wasn’t looking for a payback or a free ride. $20 barely covered one meal. Two days later the mail delivered the gift certificate. There was not even a letter, but the certificate was enough. We returned two days later.

My wife, Peg and I brought a friend and had a nice time. We came at a less hectic time. The food was good. The waitress had no idea that we had complained. She was even more accommodating than she had been before. I’m sure if we had asked for wine, she would have not needed instructions for opening the bottle this time. We switched to micro-brews for the evening.

Our bill was just under $80.00 plus tip. The restaurant probably made their twenty bucks back on the beer alone. The restaurant bought my wife and me for $20.00, and we spent considerably more. I’ve already told two people that originally ate with us about the return trip. They were impressed.

People who don’t complain usually don’t come back and they spread the news about why they don’t go back. Customers who complain are an opportunity. They can be bought. We were bought, and we’ll return . . . and bring more friends with us.

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