Sometimes you should ask for compensation when what you pay for doesn't live up to expectations.
But sometimes a patient and understanding manner can yield equally beneficial results.
A friend and I went for breakfast at Café Medina in Vancouver where the lineup outside starts well before opening time. This sudden influx of diners pretty well fills the restaurant resulting in an onslaught of orders, or as our server put it: "It becomes a bit of a lottery who gets served first."
We obviously didn't do too well in that lottery because almost an hour later we were still waiting for our breakfast while folks at neighbouring tables had already come, eaten and gone.
We were reassured, with an apologetic explanation, that our meal would be served soon and it arrived shortly thereafter. In due course, I asked for the bill. But when I turned over the piece of paper, I saw this hand-written message: "Breakfast is on the house today. We apologize for the wait! Hope you have a wonderful day! Thank you for your patience!" My dining companion and I were truly surprised; we hadn't suggested or expected anything like this. When I asked to see the menu so I could calculate what the tip would have been, the server suggested that really wasn't necessary. However, I felt she shouldn't lose out just because the meal had become complimentary; she had done her job well.
And obviously our patient and understanding manner had also yielded a positive result.
So the next time a purchase of goods and/or services falls short, find out why. Then decide which approach would be appropriate, for example an understanding manner, a suggestion/request for a discount or other compensation (whichever will cost the provider less but still give you a benefit), or a combination of the two.
Also, remember to put yourself in the other person's shoes to give you an idea of how you would react if the positions were reversed.
Mike Grenby is a columnist and independent personal financial advisor; he'll answer questions in this column as space allows but cannot reply personally. Email him at [email protected].
