Sometimes, people in customer service will say, “There’s nothing we can do.” That’s not true, of course. That line is usually a test to see how serious you are. To see if you’re committed, or if you’ll give up easily and go away.

Someone fed me that line today.

“I’m sorry. You’re outside the seven-day window for order complaints. There’s nothing we can do.”

I approached the situation using a friendly and curious tone. “Are you sure? We ordered [one thing] and were given [a lesser thing]. You’re saying that beyond seven days, the company is unwilling to make this right?”

<long pause>

“Can you please hold, sir?”

After five minutes, I was given the partial refund that I had specifically requested.

* * *

So, two observations. One, a friendly (yet firm) conversation can sometimes turn a “no” into a “yes”. Shouting wouldn’t have done that. It probably helped, too, that I was very clear about what I wanted the company to do.

And two, it’s a shame that corporate customer service flow charts don’t begin more often with, “Thank you for being our customer. How can we make this right?” That approach wouldn’t stop mistakes from happening, but it would make for many more happy customers in the long run.