You work part-time at the customer service desk at a home improvement store in y

Question

You work part-time at the customer service desk at a home improvement store in your suburban town. It is late September and in walks a man who firmly but politely presents his receipt and insists on returning the barbecue he bought in June for a full refund. He explains, “it does not work as well as it should.” For your part, it is clear that this man bought the barbecue to enjoy summertime grilling, and now that the summer is over, he no longer needs the barbecue – at least until next summer. Your company’s policy is to take back any product within 90 days or purchase with a receipt and within one year if the product is defective. What do you do?

1)What is your immediate reaction to the scenario? How would you feel if you were the person this situation was about?
2)How could this situation have been avoided?
3)What approaches to resolving this conflict are appropriate?
4)What are some things that, if done, would make this approach successful?
5)What are some things to avoid when attempting to resolve this conflict? Why?

Explanation / Answer

For this specific situation I would have to take the product back even it has no defect and according to the company's policy, only the products with defect are eligible for full refund. If I were the person in this specific situation , I would never have come to return a product that I have successfully used as it would be totally unethical and inappropriate.

The situation could be avoided by discussing the legal contract which is involved in a purchase. As the company policy includes 90 days of refund that is unconditional, it applies to the current situation as the buyer has not crossed the limit of 90 days. By asking the buyer to show the defect would be appropriate for mitigating this issue. Taking back the product would increase the customer satisfaction and prove legitimacy of the organisation towards making promises to the customers.

For resolving the conflict, understanding the buyers position and taking back the product without asking any question would be appropriate as the buyer has come under the day limit of 90 days. This would definitely increase brand image and provide a positive support to the brand name.

Humble communication and properly explaining about the warranties and policies of the company would be the best approach for handling the situation and for making this approach successful.

Anger and shouting on the customer should be avoided while attempting to resolve this is specific conflict as it would be really decrease the overall brand image of your store.

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