A woman in California is suing Starbucks because they (allegedly) would not let her use the restroom to fix her prosthetic leg, without buying something first. In other words, they felt it was better to give her a cup of hot steaming coffee so that while she hobbled to the bathroom on her wobbly leg, she could spill it on herself…and hen sue them for giving her hot coffee when she was not stable. Apparently, they also felt the good PR they will receive from this decision is way more important than letting someone get away with “taking advantage” of their restroom policy. I mean, just because she is disabled, she shouldn’t get special treatment, right?
This is a great example of the theory that states, “The customer is not always right, but the customer is always the customer.”
Let me humbly suggest, during this stressful holiday season, that a customer service act of humanity and generosity will always turn out better than a customer service act of scrooge-ed-nesss. Now put that in your latte and sip it.