Customer service. Scenario 6 of 6. Owning a mistake

You gave the wrong price

You work in a phone shop. Ten minutes ago you told a customer that a contract was £25 a month, and she went to fetch her ID. While she is gone you realise you read the wrong line. It is £35.

She comes back smiling, ready to sign.

What is the best call?

Let her sign. The correct price is on the contract, so it is up to her to read it.

Not the best call

She is signing because of what you told her. When the first bill arrives she will feel misled, and she will be right. That becomes a complaint and a cancelled contract, where it could have been a short apology.

Tell her before she signs. "I'm sorry, I gave you the wrong price. It's £35, not £25. Let me show you what there is at £25."

Good call

Thirty awkward seconds now, and she makes her decision on true information. Offering an alternative shows you are still trying to help. Customers forgive a mistake that is owned quickly.

Give her the contract at £25 and make up the difference with a discount code you are not supposed to use.

Not the best call

You are trying to keep your word, which is a good instinct. But using a discount you are not authorised to give swaps one problem for a worse one. If honouring the price is right, a manager can approve it.

Tell her the price has just changed.

Not the best call

It gets you out of the moment by replacing a mistake with a lie. If she checks, or asks a colleague, you have lost her trust entirely. The truth here is not even embarrassing: you misread a line.

The principle

When you have told a customer something wrong, correct it before they act on it. Say what you got wrong, apologise once, and offer what you can do now.