How do you handle the referral gone bad? You believe the company you are referring to will provide outstanding service. You refer your client-friend-family with conviction. Now the unthinkable, the company you were counting on to treat your referral with the same respect and superior level of service that you would does not perform. Not only do they not perform but they also refuse to refund the money. Their excuse is that an employee was rude. Hmmm, what happened to the customer is always right. I guess unless they hurt your feelings and then you can keep their money.
I want to hear how you would manage this. Of course, you would never refer again, right? Would you refund the money yourself because you felt responsible? Would you go on a campaign to provide everyone you know with the story so they could avoid an unpleasant experience?
Now, put yourself in the position of the company that did not perform. How would you have handled the situation? Do you have a procedure for how you manage unhappy customers? Is it important to your business to do whatever it takes to turn a bad experience into a happy one? Would you go back and evaluate what you promised, how you communicated expectations and make changes in the future? How could you learn from the situation? And what would you say to the individual that made the referral?