Aaron J. Crowley

Stone Industry Consultant

I read an article the other day about a homeowner who was sued for $750,000 because she wrote a scathing review on YELP about a contractor who had worked on her home and failed to meet her expectations.

With that in mind, I will be careful not to mention the name of the company I’m about to review!  

For one thing, the name of the company and situation is secondary to the larger point I want to make about accommodating the customer: when in doubt, give the customer the benefit of the doubt. The other thing is that I can’t afford to get sued right now! 

So, here’s the situation: 

We bought an overhead crane system five years ago and have had problems with it ever since. We have argued that the problem is caused by an unusual, but apparently approved method of lowering the system that was required during the original installation when it was realized that the bridges were built 4˝ too tall to fit under our ceiling girders. 

After 5 years of requesting and patiently waiting to simply get the crane fully functional, the owner of the crane manufacturer has concluded that because I signed off on the original design and dimensions, I will have to pay them to do the work necessary to get it working properly.

To me, this is like telling a countertop client, “The bad news is that we measured and cut your island 24˝ short. The good news is that we can put a seam in it! But… since you looked at the template and approved it, we’re going to have to charge you for it.”

Now, this may just be crane industry etiquette and maybe I’m being unreasonable. But it is impossible to describe the anger, the sense of helplessness, and the violation of trust that has occurred, regardless of whether or not I signed off on a CAD drawing that looked just fine to me.

And that is my point, whether I’m right or wrong is irrelevant. It “feels” like I’ve been taken advantage of.

And because I regularly write and travel to speak to granite guys (and gals), I am communicating with fabricators and slab suppliers all the time who are considering new equipment for their shops, cranes included.

Meaning, it will cost this crane company 10 or 20 times in lost sales what it would have cost them to come and fix my system. Not because I will speak ill of them, but because I won’t recommend them when that inevitable opportunity to talk cranes comes up!

And that’s the lesson for you and me as fabricators and suppliers of natural stone. We are going to find ourselves in a situation where we’ve done everything humanly possible to deliver our products or service and it still won’t be enough to please the customer, and we have to decide in advance how we will respond.

The color isn’t going to match well enough at the seams. The pits are going to feel bigger in the kitchen than they did in the shop. The honed finish is going to disappoint, just like we said it would.  But whether our clients approved the layout, felt the pits, or wanted the hone is irrelevant. Whether they are being unreasonable is beside the point.  

What is critical is how we respond because they have the relationships with our future clients and thus hold our futures in their hands!

Are we willing to do unreasonable things for customers who seem unreasonable?

For those who can’t or won’t, we know how that story ends… bitter resentment that often includes attorney’s fees, but rarely peace and resolution.

But for those who are willing to give the customer the benefit of the doubt, even when it hurts, they will attain a reputation that is second to none and a fiercely loyal client base that cannot be bought or taken away.

Be that!

Aaron Crowley is a stone shop owner, author, speaker, and consultant to mid size stone companies. Contact him at aaron@fabricatorsfriend.com