Would you lose a customer over 50 cents?

As I lined up to spend about 10 bucks for coffee and breakfast at my favorite coffee shop this morning, one of the owners was losing a customer. There was some kind of dispute about a gift card, and the owner claimed the patron just didn’t know how much the patron had been spending, and that’s why the card had no money. The patron thought the original card (which had been lost and the one with the small amount may or may not have actually been the right card) should have 40 bucks or so.

The owner made the patron so mad with her insistence that the patron had simply spent too much that the patron stormed out.

This owner (half of a husband/wife team) was notably rude to other clients a few days ago, causing her own staff to say something to her.

Just now I go in for a little break to get my dollar refill. I’ve done this every day for … I don’t know… 4 months? I live across the street, so I buy a coffee in the morning and refill it a couple of times a day, sometimes even buying refills in advance with the first purchase.

So I go in for my refill, and the owner says, “Beth, refills are only if you stay here. It’s a courtesy for our guests.” She stared flatly at me, leaving my empty cup between us.

“Ah. Ok,” I said. I left. I dumped my cup in the trash and went home to brew a pot.

I go to the coffee shop for the people. I think I visit 7 days a week. I like to step away from the office, and the baristas all know me. I meet friends there all the time, spend probably (and embarrassingly) $25-35 a week there. Her husband serves me my refills and waves goodbye as I walk across the street.

The owner’s brusqueness and the way she treated other people turned me off completely. I’ll probably go back sometime or another, but I certainly don’t want to visit for a while. (This is not the first time I’ve been turned off by the owner, but I let the other one pass.)

I’ve never faced this as a freelance copywriter. No one’s said, “Gosh, Beth. I didn’t think you were charging me for that,” or “This seems expensive.” In fact, I often check with my clients as I am doing a project. “I’ve spent 4 hours so far, and I think I’m halfway there. Are we still on budget?” I’d hate to think that my clients thought I was giving more thought to increasing the current invoice than establishing a long-term relationship.

So, my little coffee shop just lost another customer (at least until I cool off) because of 50 cents. This is the second time in a week I’ve encountered companies who put policy over building customer relationships. I wonder if they really believe it’s worth it?

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