Stick to Your Word
This is my 6 year old, worn-out, not working anymore, electric lawmower. After purchase, It sat unused for about a year because I had no spare time to cut the lawn. For the last 5 years, it has worked pretty hard at least weekly. This week it just stopped. I guess, like me, it decided to retire.
I have no proof of purchase. Even the approximate date of purchase is unknown. However, I did remember that there is a lifetime guarantee on all the machines sold by this particular company. A couple of online articles confirmed this. So, I called a local distributor.
There was no hassle. I brought the machine to the store and demonstrated the fact that it no longer worked. Because of the age and the relative difficulty of locating a problem on an electric machine, the store offered me some options in compliance with the lifetime guarantee.
The point is not what kind of a machine I got to replace this one, but rather that the store honored the word of their parent company even after all these years. As it turns out, we are going to add some money to the replacement cost of this machine to upgrade to a better model. So, by honoring their word without any hassle, this company has made an upsale. They will probably be getting some word of mouth advertising about the ease of this transaction and eventually how well the new machine works. They also have secured a faithful customer in me. Even the local store benefits because they have strengthened a casual retail relationship.
This lawnmower experience got me thinking about my online business. Are the things I advertise always completely true? Do I make sure I honor any incentives that I offer? Is my content in any way manipulative or always informative? Do I care more about a sale or about developing relationships with readers as the internet allows? If this huge company, that offered a blanket guarantee years ago, can faithfully honor their word, I need to make sure that I do the same thing as I "keep on fishin'."
Recent Comments
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A lifetime guarantee on a piece of machinery which is bound to wear out seems like a bit of an own-goal from the company. I know you have paid for an upgrade - but you only paid the difference. Unless I am missing something - the company making the lawnmowers still lose out in this transaction.
I see your point about goodwill but if they have lots of similar transactions then the financial loss must outweigh the goodwill.
Don’t get me wrong - I am all for keeping your word!
IMHO, the tax write-off is well worth the added advertising for a company who honors their guarantee, Dave! I have gone beyond my own guarantee many times, and because of that, I have many loyal customers. I'm certain you can relate in your own business as well! Remember, when we GIVE, we GET.
I've often noticed that the people who give the most are wealthy, while those who hoard and are selfish, seem to struggle to get by! I have been guilty of that on many occasions, myself.
Just my two cents for what they are worth!
Take care!
Jeff
Hello Jim!
Great topics. I believe in the compliance lifetime guarantee. They will accept it for repair if still possible to fix. And then the company gives another option if you wish to replace yours with a brand new one but, of course, there's an extra cost and still at the customer's disposal if he wants to upgrade or not.
I think just normal in the business upsell. Since we are affiliate marketers, we write reviews on all the right things about the product, including guarantees. We never over-do it on top of that. We tell the truth. That's it. We did our part with the rest: the company itself, including all the shipping, etc. Our obligation is nonstop; we need to bring traffic to our site and bring visitors to the affiliate program company to receive a commission if we get sales.
Thanks for sharing.
Joyce
Excellent Post & Share Jim. That has been crossing my mind as of late and what to do about it. The problem as an affiliate marketer, the company that we represent usually shoulders the responsibility for shipping, support, training, if required, terms & Conditions of the delivered product etc.. In many cases we would have to sell 95 more products to replace the bad one. Our only peace of mind is to pair up with AAA+ Company as an affiliate marketer for them and they are not easy to find.
That is one of the good things about affiliate marketing. We are not responsible in the end for replacing a product but for point people to the company offering the warranty. Thanks for reading my article and taking the time to comment.
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WOW. I'm surprised that they would do such a thing. This is a piece of equipment that will inevitably wear out. While their commitment is honorable, I hope they don't have many that take them up on the offer although it WOULD bring repeat business and it WOULD bring new customers from word of mouth. They must have it worked out financially if they're still in business though. You're right about keeping OUR word.
~Debbi
I doubt too many people remember that there are lifetime warranties on many tools. Thanks for reading the article and commenting.