07/09/2026
Customer Service in a Price-Driven World
Let's address the elephant in the room. Customers want the lowest price, immediate service and a perfect result, every time. But genuine service requires skilled people, time and enough margin to actually deliver it. (I am not putting all customers in this boat, but you know who you are) (and anyone in any retail sector has experienced this).
Somewhere along the way, an expectation developed that business owners should accept whatever conditions are handed to them. Customers dictate the price, discounts are assumed, and businesses are expected to surrender their margins with a smile, quietly, gratefully and without hesitation.
The moment we show any discomfort with that arrangement, or the smile slips even slightly, we’re labelled rude, accused of providing poor customer service and sometimes publicly punished simply for having a point of view about our own business.
That isn’t a reasonable service standard. It’s entitlement dressed up as customer expectation.
We’re also no longer living in a “yes sir, no sir” world, and that goes both ways. Good customer service doesn’t mean a business must agree to every demand, tolerate unreasonable behaviour or hand over whatever someone wants simply to avoid a bad review.
When people don’t get the answer they want, the reflex is often to go straight to social media. Sometimes before giving the business a genuine opportunity to explain or put things right. That isn’t always accountability. Sometimes it’s simply retaliation with an audience.
Businesses should absolutely own their mistakes. But customers also owe the conversation a fair go.
Not every inconvenience is mistreatment. Not every disagreement is poor service. Not every “no” is disrespectful. And not getting exactly what you want doesn’t make you a victim.
Sometimes the right response is to take a breath, regain some perspective, and toughen up a little.
Sometimes I feel like asking the world to stop, I want to get off.
