dpd1 - 6:34 pm on May 10, 2009 (gmt 0)

It's a delicate thing... I've ignored people, then had them get on forums and tell everybody I ignored them. I typically try to cleverly give people info that I know they won't want to hear. It's fairly easy to do with our stuff, because we make things that are technical and performance oriented. I know what people want and what turns them off. So when I know where a person is headed, I just start telling them answers that will get them there faster than they would on their own... Basically, I make the product look bad, or too expensive. I suppose that could blow up in my face, but I do it in such a subtle way, that there isn't much they can say about it... I try and focus on their particular need, so it can't be generalized. But then you have the people that won't listen no matter what, and even though your little voice is screaming that they're not going to be happy with it... No matter what you tell them, they still want it. Not too much you can do about those. In my thinking... If you in any way dismiss a person, they are probably going to take that as a personal attack. And that's when you get them messing with you. Getting them to come to a conclusion on their own is always better I think. Our return policy is pretty harsh also... If you use it, it's yours. End of story. Simply setting up the item is going to make it look used, so there's no way we are taking that back and taking the hit. I use to think that was too harsh, then I started noticing how much pain a lot of stores put you through now days for returns... Stores that are 100 times bigger than us. And I figure if they refuse returns on stuff, why shouldn't I.

But I'm amazed people have the nerve to ask for help to be a competitor. I haven't had that happen yet. Though, I think I probably worried about that the first few years. Now, not so much, because when I think about how much work and effort it has taken just to get this far, I have to think there's not many people that would last.