Return Policy Vital in the Booklet Business

Chatting with some booklet author clients today, I was reminded of the matter of having a return policy on booklet orders. Years ago, I used to have a money-back guarantee on my products. That meant home study courses and booklets and audio CDs (it was tapes in those days) and manuals. Many people in the US, especially within the publishing industry in the US, expect returns to be part of life. Sounds a bit crazy to me, and it always has.

Now I am also eager to always do the right thing by my customers, to the extent that it's possible. What that means is sometimes there is just no satisfying some people, no matter what.

Back to the return policy. I started noticing that some people wanted to 'kick the tires,' and were not really serious buyers at all. Then there were other people who, when they hadn't managed their cash flow as well as they would have liked, came to see if they could collect back what they had paid for something from my business to hold them over with their money requirements.

Ultimately I instituted the policy of company-credit-only. That includes all products and services. We will issue a company credit toward the purchase of any other product or service. Obviously I will do whatever is possible to correct a situation like damaged goods or some misunderstanding that happened due to my faulty communication in some way. However, money goes in one direction only, which, as harsh as it may sound, is not back to the customer.

The longer I'm in business, the more I hear of this policy being adopted by many companies, especially small businesses. As long as there is clarity about what the policy is, and it is announced (which is the case at www.tipsbooklets.com ), then the situation has been addressed. An international publishing rights consultant was mentioning recently that many countries around the world do not have a return policy in publishing that has become so much a part of traditional publishing in the United States. Interesting difference in cultures, isn't it?

It comes under the heading of 'you don't have to like what I say as much as know what it is I'm saying.' Clear communication rules all!

Until next time,
Paulette
http://www.tipsbooklets.com