The Customer Is Always Right

This week, I've come to realize that some companies are in trouble because they forgot a simple principle that made many enterprises successful: That the customer is always right.

I've been dealing with customer service people who apparently thought the customer was always wrong. I pray you don't have to deal with the wireless service provider I have.

If so, be prepared for hours on the phone and in person at their offices trying to get them to make a previously working device work again, because your upgrade of service caused them to instead cut off your service.

And to experience frustration to the point of insanity, deal with an airline that cancels your flight and then wants to charge you extra money for having inconvenienced you.

I'm not kidding. I spent a frustrating evening trying to explain that if they cancelled my flight due to weather, they should not also ask me to pay even more for a flight I didn't want at a time that will cost me days of productivity.

When companies get so big that they get lost in their rules and policies, they probably won't be that big much longer.

I would tell you the name of the airline, but since I will have to fly them again, until I can change all my travel to one that will at least pretend to want my business, I don't want to be placed in the baggage hold on my next flight with them.

It's not all bad. Just last week, I switched after 22 years from a PC to an Apple MacBook with serious fear and trepidation.

It could have been traumatic, but thanks to an amazing group of young, bright, patient and personable staff at the Apple store in New York, it's actually been a breeze.

Why do I have confidence these guys will keep their jobs? Because in a bad economy, really good people with a really good product or really good service have a really good likelihood of staying employed.

If not with that company, for some company looking for people who know who really pays their salaries.

If you've had a really great or really lousy experience with service, I'd like to hear about it.

That's my view, I would love to hear yours. E-mail your comments to: huckmail@foxnews.com