I have a friend who’s a salsa fanatic. So for her birthday, I got her a subscription to a salsa-of-the-month club. After three months, I found out she’d yet to receive anything. When I contacted the salsa provider, here is the email reply I received in return:
“It appears that the address was updated previously, resulting in your February shipment not being sent out. We appreciate your understanding.”
What does that even mean? I’d never updated the address. I have no idea what he’s referring to. But I do know there was no apology. No responsibility taken. No effort to make me feel better about a birthday gift that never arrived.
Imagine how much differently I’d have felt if I’d received this:
“Thank you for letting us know your friend had yet to receive any shipments from us. We just realized that we had an incorrect address on file, and in looking at your order, it’s clear that this was our mistake, not yours. We totally screwed up, and I’m so sorry. We’ll get an order out to her today along with a note explaining that this was all our fault. And if you wouldn’t mind, we’d love to send her one extra shipment, free of charge. It seems like the least we can do.”
Done—we’d all be friends now. Instead, I'm just frustrated. And I'd never buy from them again.
People make mistakes. It happens. But whether you’re a large business, a small business, a high school student, or anyone else who has dropped the ball, start by:
1. Admitting you messed up.
2. Taking responsibility.
3. Offering a sincere apology.
Once you do that, it gets a lot easier for people to start forgiving you.