Customer honesty...or else

For today's small business owner (which would include many of those contractors out there in the HVACR world), it's tough sledding right now. While we've heard over and over about how the recession is ending, the stock market is recovering, etc., the reality is that the market recovery on Wall Street isn't helping those on Main Street find new customers. The overwhelming perception right now is that consumers continue to hunker down, save and conserve. Businesses, too, are finding that while there is work out there, things certainly are the same way they were in the free-spending, no-limit-to-credit days of 2007 (Chicago Tribune columnist Greg Burns has some great thoughts on this in one of his recent columns.)

All the more reason why it is so vital to RETAIN your customer base. We've all heard how easy it is to lose a customer, as well as how great repeat customers are to your word-of-mouth advertising base (still one of the best ways to promote your business!). But just as important, from a business perspective, is honesty and integrity with your customers. Because once you lose your credibility with them, you aren't getting it back.

This brings me to the point of my random diatribe here today. The last two months, I've received some obscenely high electric bills from ComEd. For those of you not fortunate enough to live in Chicago and privy to monopoly that ComEd has on its customers, they supply us with energy. And in my rehabbed condo building, the access to read those ComEd meters is in the basement, which unfortunately remains locked. So when they come to read the meter, they need someone to open it. This, in and of itself, is not a problem.

The problem arises when I called today to find out that the reason for my high bills is that ComEd ESTIMATES owner usage when they can't access the building (I'm still trying to figure out how they got the numbers they did for estimates, when my previous bills were so low, but that's a topic for a whole different day). Unfortunately, no one from ComEd has contacted me or explained that to me. And to say that I was irate when I opened my bill would be an understatement. Especially when I called someone last month, and the answer I got then from customer service was "You must have had your air-conditioner on a lot. That explains the high usage rate."

So what does all this mean? Simply put, be honest and upfront with your customers. If you are going to have to perform work that is going to exceed an estimate, or reach beyond the scope of what was originally proposed, explain why. The customer might not like hearing the TOTAL, but they will appreciate your honesty and why you are reviewing it with them. And instead of having an upset customer who is ready to jump ship and head to another contractor, you may have just added someone one who will not only specify that high-SEER unit, but also sign on for the three-year service agreement you've offered.

Now as for ComEd......