Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.
Issue link: http://freshcup.epubxp.com/i/105573
I f you've dedicated yourself to specialty coffee and tea, you clearly care about the product you sell in your store or craft in your warehouse. The whole point of our industry is to offer up leaves, beans and beverages that are simply more flavorful, robust and ethically sourced than those offered by larger companies. So how then are you to respond when you encounter a customer who feels you have failed to live up to expectations and brings up that dirtiest of dirty words: refund. "That's always an uncomfortable conversation," says Kita Centella, owner of the Chakra 4 tea and herb store in Phoenix. "If we gave you something that's inferior for any reason, you're going to get your money back. But the people that are getting a quality item and just don't like it, well, that's not something we're going to just take back. That's a lot more slippery." Indeed, the question of how to deal with returns and refunds is a tricky one for specialty coffee and tea companies. For one thing, the products in question are perishable, so it's a sunk cost for the shop if you give a dissatisfied customer their cash back. In addition, as more companies focus on lighter roasts and unique blends, they are more apt to run up against consumers who are flabbergasted by the fact that their purchases aren't eliciting the "traditional" flavors they're used to. Add to all this the growing presence of e-commerce, where consumers are buying without first sampling in a retail environment, and you have a specialty beverage world where return policies are gaining in importance. Does that sound like a bummer? It doesn't need to be. Some industry veterans have found that refund requests actually come with a silver lining: They can open the door to conversations and customer-service responses that result in even greater customer loyalty—as long as those situations are handled correctly. "If someone orders something and they're unhappy—even if it's their own fault because they ordered wrong—and they reach out and encounter unresponsive customer service or elitist attitudes, then we've lost them," says Elise Papazian, co-owner of the online coffee marketplace GoCoffeeGo. "Especially on the Internet, when a customer encounters great customer service, they really appreciate the effort." Here are some ideas to keep in mind when dealing with customers looking for a refund. The bottom line is this: Pleasing customers should remain your focus throughout the process, even if that means swallowing a bit of pride along the way. CRAFT A POLICY Perhaps the best way to effectively deal with customers wanting their money back is to have clear guidelines in place beforehand. With a written policy in place (and posted to your site or packaging), customers will know you aren't making up your rules as you go along, and they then may be a bit more open to understanding your side of the equation. Ego Tea, an online brand that offers specialty teas and herbals, has a clearly worded policy in place informing customers they can return purchases for any reason whatsoever as long as they do so within 30 days. Troy Reierson, who manages the company, says that month-long window gives folks ample time to try steeping a given tea using different parameters and to get the opinions of others. Ego's policy also asks consumers wanting a refund to provide their reason for dissatisfaction. Reierson says this aspect turns refunds into a productive business move—the company gets a chance to learn more about who's drinking the tea and how those continued on page 42 freshcup.com February 2013 41