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Re:Bootstrap Marketing: Ideas that don't suck by patio11 on Wednesday May 11, 2011 @12:01PM (#2536941)
I'm curious as to the rationale about "not letting people walk all over you." Is that an ego thing? Because, businesswise, it is just as easy to say "We ALWAYS give refunds when asked" as it is to say "We NEVER give refunds when asked", and it costs vanishingly little more money to say the first than the second. Your pathological customers know a variety of ways to get their money back anyhow (cough mention "chargeback" in a thirty second call to their bank cough). You might as well take the opportunity to give your good customers a feeling that you're not risky to do business with. Heck, make it a sales point: we don't want your money if you're not ridiculously happy with the service. (A/B test this if you don't believe me, but I think it is probably a clear win.)

I've done this for almost five years with BCC, offering a published policy of no-questions-asked refunds for 30 days (and the actual practice is that I will literally send you a check 4 years later -- I did it once). My refunds over the interim run under 3% of sales. In the last year, off the top of my head, it is closer to 1.2% (switching to the online version prevents all sorts of problems).

Otherwise I rather like the advice, although if you're not marketing to techy people like web designers I would suggest getting a great deal more comfortable with SEO than this would suggest because Google is the Internet.

Re:Bootstrap Marketing: Ideas that don't suck by dataminer on Wednesday May 11, 2011 @12:46PM (#2537133)
I had similar experience as you while doing sales on ebay, the moment I switched from "return not accepted" to "returns accepted, full refund including the shipping cost" sales went up 3 folds and covered any negligible cost associated with returns. Customers will trust you more when there is a full refund policy in place and will not think twice when buying from you.
Re:Bootstrap Marketing: Ideas that don't suck by jonnathanson on Wednesday May 11, 2011 @12:21PM (#2537038)
I think a well-articulated and unconfusing policy on refunds goes a LONG way. As does ease of customer service process. If you nail these two things, in my experience, then questions about where to draw the line with refunds become almost academic.

Customers don't like headaches. The goal of customer service isn't to bow down to the customer at all costs, but rather, to minimize or alleviate headaches.

Re:Bootstrap Marketing: Ideas that don't suck by hammock on Wednesday May 11, 2011 @12:49PM (#2537145)
I think a well-articulated and unconfusing policy on refunds goes a LONG way.

Got an example?

Re:Bootstrap Marketing: Ideas that don't suck by alexqgb on Wednesday May 11, 2011 @04:48PM (#2538359)
How about "Money-back if not completely satisfied"?

I realize that it's no less complicated than "We ALWAYS give refunds when asked" but perhaps this particular wording works better for you.

Re:Bootstrap Marketing: Ideas that don't suck by spencerfry on Wednesday May 11, 2011 @12:50PM (#2537151)
I'm okay with conceding the refund point in my article. That being said, we don't stamp our marketing site with a big "NO REFUND POLICY". We just don't advertise a refund policy of any sort. I think the bigger takeaway from that section is that you should be liberal in offering refunds on whatever policy you have.