My Brags: Backlogs & Punitive Refunds

[David Hurley]

Since returning from my Christmas holidays I have been struggling to clear a backlog of orders from my games site - I had 30 outstanding orders to deal with, have shipped a lot of them, but new orders mean my backlog now stands at around 16-17 orders to deal with...

Most customers are very patient, or when inquiring about the fate of their order, polite or neutral... but there are always one or two who immediately want to accuse me of stealing money, being a scam artist, running a fake site or whatever and here is how I deal with them:

THE PUNITIVE REFUND

Yup, I get great pleasure in responding to unwarranted abuse with an instant "punitive refund". It allows me to ditch unpleasant customers and instantly reduces my backlog! And they don't get their game - ever!

So there - you just got 2 x brags rolled into a mini rant for your time! A bargain, or what?

[Ringo So]

Hahaha.

I enjoy your sense of humor David.

I do admire your principles. I would probably just send them the games.

[GT Bulmer]

Hi, David:

LOL - That's the benefit of running your own business and running it your way. How many employees of companies would just LOVE to deal with unpleasant customers that way? How many DREAM of doing what you have the freedom to do?

You may lose a sale, some income and potential future sales, but you gain peace of mind, personal satisfaction and a list of happy customers.

GT

[ideasuniversity]

Since returning from my Christmas holidays I have been struggling to clear a backlog of orders from my games site - I had 30 outstanding orders to deal with, have shipped a lot of them, but new orders mean my backlog now stands at around 16-17 orders to deal with...

Most customers are very patient, or when inquiring about the fate of their order, polite or neutral... but there are always one or two who immediately want to accuse me of stealing money, being a scam artist, running a fake site or whatever and here is how I deal with them:

THE PUNITIVE REFUND

Yup, I get great pleasure in responding to unwarranted abuse with an instant "punitive refund". It allows me to ditch unpleasant customers and instantly reduces my backlog! And they don't get their game - ever!

So there - you just got 2 x brags rolled into a mini rant for your time! A bargain, or what?

Since returning from my Christmas holidays I have been struggling to clear a backlog of orders from my games site - I had 30 outstanding orders to deal with, have shipped a lot of them, but new orders mean my backlog now stands at around 16-17 orders to deal with...

Most customers are very patient, or when inquiring about the fate of their order, polite or neutral... but there are always one or two who immediately want to accuse me of stealing money, being a scam artist, running a fake site or whatever and here is how I deal with them:

THE PUNITIVE REFUND

Yup, I get great pleasure in responding to unwarranted abuse with an instant "punitive refund". It allows me to ditch unpleasant customers and instantly reduces my backlog! And they don't get their game - ever!

So there - you just got 2 x brags rolled into a mini rant for your time! A bargain, or what?

Can you outsource the order to a third party?

[David Hurley]

Thanks for the feedback, guys.

@Yinka,

Nice suggestion, but in most cases, no I cannot or would not do that with "difficult" customers. I will occasionally recommend other suppliers if I cannot fulfill an order.

I am beginning to think about recruiting some of my college students as casual labour though...

[Trent Brownrigg]

I am beginning to think about recruiting some of my college students as casual labour though...

Very good idea! I am sure they can use the extra money and you would get cheap yet reliable help.

[MichelleJ]

Recruiting some of your students sounds like a great idea David, it will take some of the pressure off of you, you will be able to execute your orders quicker and have more happy customers. Isn't that what outsourcing is all about?

MichelleJ

[ideasuniversity]

Hi David,
Have you tried the drop shipping route? Or may be the product you sell cannot be drop shipped?

[David Hurley]

A weekend Blitzkrieg on the backlog - and a few trips to the post office - has solved the problem!

Hi David,
Have you tried the drop shipping route? Or may be the product you sell cannot be drop shipped?

Hi Yinka,

In my experience international drop-shipping has not caught on in Japan. It is precisely the fear of dealing with foreigners overseas that I exploit!