The Unhappy Customer

His voice is getting louder, angrier and his hands are gestating. The other patrons are starting to stare and whisper. You have what is every salesperson’s nightmare - “the unhappy customer”. Here are a few suggestions to help keep it from escalating out of control to that point.

1. Talk in a low pleasant voice
In keeping your voice pleasant and responsive, it’ll hopefully keep the customer’s voice down. If you raise yours or get an attitude, you’ll just compound the issue.

2. Look the customer in the eye.
No one likes to be ignored. If the customer thinks you are ignoring them, then the problem will get worse. When you keep eye contact with the customer, it will assure them that you are listening. Nodding your head and inserting words like “I see” or “I understand” will also help lower their displeasure and make them more responsive.

3. The customer is always right
Let me repeat that…the customer is always right! Repeat what the complaint is back to the customer to make sure you understand what the problem is.

Ex: So Mr. Jones, you wanted Cardinal roses in your arrangement and Madame roses were used instead? Is this correct?

4. Offer a solution
Depending on your store’s policy, you can offer a solution to the problem.

Ex: I understand your problem, Mr. Jones, and hopefully we can get it solved to your satisfaction. We can do one of three things for you to remedy this situation. We can go get the arrangement and replace the Madame’s with the Cardinal’s. Or we can replace the total arrangement at no cost to you. We can also pick up the arrangement, bring it back and refund your money. Which one of these options would work best to solve this problem for you?

5. Thank the customer
Thank the customer for bringing this to your attention.

Ex: Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Mr. Jones. We would rather know something was wrong and fix it than to have an unhappy customer. We value your patronage.


Remember the customer that is unhappy can do a lot of damage to your business. Word of mouth by a dissatisfied customer can spread like wildfire. However, if the problem is solved to their satisfaction, a happy customer is more likely to come back and tell their friends, family and co-workers about your business.

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Linda lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 9 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce and the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family.