Is the special treatment you designed specifically to keep customers coming back working against you?

Be carfule what you promise. A local jeweler offers free lifetime battery replacement for any watch he sells. It’s a good hook to keep customers walking back in the store on a regular basis and increases his sales volume. But, it’s backfired on him.

And he’s lost at least one customer because of it. He’s run into a problem getting the batteries he needs and now has to send a customer’s watch off to the manufacturer which lengthens the turn around time for the repair.

One customer got so irate she’s sworn she’ll never do business with him again. Oops. Thousands of dollars of business lost over a $6 battery.

What are the perks you provide for your customers? Does it make their life simpler, save them money or time? Or has it turned into a problem that’s driving them away? Please leave a comment.