The Resolution

"The customer is always right."

How it worked out Larry offered to meet with his customer to discuss the wood grain problem. Before the meeting Larry reflected on his options, asking himself this question: If the customer is not willing to accept the bookshelf "as is" and is not willing to split the cost of replacing the panel should I take the loss? And then the more important question: Is the cost of replacing the panel (labor and materials) enough to risk customer dissatisfaction? Once he had answered these two questions for himself, he was in a better position to negotiate with the customer. Larry met with the customer later that day and listened to his concerns. He then told the customer that he understands how one detail that isn't quite right can bother a home buyer. The customer wholeheartedly agreed. Larry assured the customer that the panel was a good piece of wood and not a defect and that there is no way for a builder to tell what the grain pattern would look like before staining it. Larry then suggested that when the book shelves are put in place in front of the panel and books are stacked on the shelves the difference in the grain patterns will not be noticeable. The customer was still unsatisfied with the bookshelf's appearance. Larry decided not to ask the customer to split the cost of the shelf but to replace the panel at his own cost. He had already decided before hand that if it the customer was not content with the shelf after their discussion he would "take the hit" because the cost of replacing the shelf was not worth the cost of customer dissatisfaction. When Larry contacted the lumber company where he bought the wood to order another panel they agreed to replace it for free since Larry is a regular customer, making large purchases. The lumber company, like Larry, took a short term loss to maintain a high degree of customer satisfaction. Final note: Larry did not have to tear the book shelf apart after all. He obtained a piece of 1/8 inch paneling from the lumber company and used this thinner piece as an overlay , gluing it to the other 1/2 inch panel.This meant that he had to re-cut the individual book shelves so that they fit correctly in the cabinet but he saved the time and money it would have taken to rebuild the cabinet completely.

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