RegrETSY: How to avoid a terrible Etsy transaction

I had the unfortunate experience of dealing with an etsy shop seller who didn't share my views of customer service.  I feel like you should always do what you can to make the customer happy. A happy customer is a returning customer. An unhappy customer, like me, will never shop there again and share the terrible experience on the internet :)

However, instead of turning this into a rant, I'm divulging so that you can perhaps learn along with me. There were mistakes made on both ends, and lots to take away. So, here's what happened (or if you don't want to read this part, just scroll to the bottom):

I purchased two washi tapes. I noted the positive reviews and didn't bother looking at her shop policies (my 1st mistake!).

Then, two weeks later:

Nothing. One month comes around...

4 days later...

 She replies!!

Good: saying sorry, repeating shop policy
Not-so-good: essentially bribing me with half of what I paid for in exchange for keeping me quiet. If it's in your ability to send me something, you do it in hopes that I'll be happy & comment: "package was lost but seller had great service and set new ones immediately!" Do not offer a tape as part of a condition.

At this point, I was pretty upset:

Her reply:

And that's that. It was indeed a loss on both ends. We both did our part in escalating the situation. I feel like if she didn't add the 'agree to not leave negative or neutral feedback' bit things may have concluded better. And I could have been nicer and more understanding in my replies.

So! What I learned:

• DO: immediately reply to customers/sellers
• DO: read store policies and feedback
• DO: always apologize if something goes awry, even if it isn't your fault
• DO: try your hardest to make your customers happy (offer discount, free shipping, an extra something)
• DO: make exceptions to help them.

When I did my training at Modern Mouse, a significant chunk was spent refining how to approach and work with customers. This included reading a reaaaaally enlightening excerpt from Zingerman's Guide to Giving Great Service, which outlines 5 basic steps to handling customer complaints:

1. Acknowledge the customer's complaint.
2. Sincerely apologize.
3. Take action to make things right for the guest.
4. Thank the customer for complaining.
5. Write it up. 

Of course, not everyone sees customer service like this. I haven't always been the best with it, but the regretsy experience has taught me a lot. Hopefully it will show in future orders!

To end this post, here are some fun facts Eleen (Modern Mouse's owner) pointed out in our customer service guidelines:

• Research indicates that customers who complain are likely to continue doing business with your company if they feel that they were treated properly.
• It's estimated that as many as 90% of customers who perceive themselves as having been wronged never complain, they just take their business elsewhere.
• Are they worth it? So, angry, complaining customers care enough to talk to you, and have not yet decided to take their business to the competition. They are customers worth saving.
• You can learn more from the difficult customer than you could ever learn from your most loyal customers. Difficult customers tell you where it hurts.
• Research has shown that just a 5% increase in customer retention can lead to 25% to 100% growth in profits.