Everyone gets annoyed when a customer runs out of gas. The customer, the bulk driver and you. Because the well being of the customer is our first concern, we follow up the next day by mailing a note on bright, colored paper with the following words:
YOU’RE IN LUCK!!!
(Because we messed up!)
We have made you a member of the “You’re in Luck Club” because we messed up. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience of running out of propane so we have credited your account for $xx.xx and have included a gift for you as well. Thank you for understanding.
(Sign your name in blue ink, for the personal touch)
We then enclose a $5 gift card for a popular coffee shop. It is unexpected and our customers appreciate it. We have also sent gift cards to customers when our service techs have missed an appointment, after a billing error or when a delivery error has been made. Just about any time a customer has an issue that was clearly our fault, we send them a note and card. The wording is sometimes a little different (depending on the circumstances) but the focus is always on “making it right”. After the delivery has been made and the leak test is complete and everyone has put the incident behind them, receiving your note and gift card several days later will speak volumes about your concern for your customer’s well being.
