Dear Barn Boss,
I run a small boarding and training business in the mid-atlantic. Lessons, shows, and clinics are a part of the services I offer. We do about 6 clinics a year, and they fill up with a mix of my boarders and riders from nearby barns. It’s been fun hosting them.Â
One of my boarders is fairly new, she’s a teenager often accompanied by her mom, who is not a horse person. As with many parents of horse-crazy kids, this mom is enthusiastic and happy to be involved in any way she can short of actually riding or handling their horse. Mom signed her daughter up for a clinic we are having with a top-tier professional. We’re about eight weeks out from the clinic date and the mom contacted me to ask for a refund because the daughter was injured and won’t be able to ride in the clinic.Â
It is common for clinic and event organizers to have a No Refund policy, and we have one. It’s clearly spelled out on the event registration page and in the email confirmation people get after submitting payment.
When the mom asked for a refund, I sympathized with her dilemma, gently reminded her of our No Refund policy, and made sure she knew that while we couldn’t refund her money, we do allow substitutions. This was not okay with her. She contacted me again to insist that it was easy for us to issue a refund, that substitutions are not good business practices, and that we need to “do the right thing”, which was couched in language that implied she would complain publicly if I didn’t comply with her demand.Â
Horse events are tough because, well, horses. I try to be as flexible as my monthly cash flow and business best practices allow. What I can do, is waive the change fees we usually charge when riders swap spots. Since this mom and her very sweet daughter are a part of our barn community, it is difficult for me to stand firm on this for fear of her taking all of her business away and possibly maligning my barn to others.Â
How can I politely respond to this customer’s demand for a refund, when all I really want to do is tell her to go kick rocks?
Sincerely,
-Fearful at the Farm
Dear Fearful,
Stop fretting. You already know what you need to do, and what is right for your business.
This customer is new to the horse world, and she doesn’t realize that many of us are familiar and comfortable with swapping out our clinic spot for someone else who wants in. She’ll figure that out eventually. What’s more concerning, is her assumption that issuing refunds is easy for you and then demanding one after you already told her you could not refund her money. Her sense of entitlement does not bode well for a long-term business relationship with you, so be prepared to find a new boarder if she decides to move her horse.
Some people assume that what they want from you is easy to do, when in fact, they have no idea what goes on in your back office or on your balance sheet! Some people also believe that because they can demand a refund from companies like Target and Amazon, that all businesses should follow the same process. Unfortunately, small businesses are rarely in a position to handle the kind of losses these bigger companies can in the name of customer service.
Waiving the change fee is a good consolation prize. While making changes to any event involves time that you could otherwise be using as a billable hour (teaching or coaching, for example), offering to waive that fee shows your flexibility and willingness to keep the business relationship with this customer. But stand firm on your No Refund policy. It is there for a reason.
“Dear Customer,
I completely understand your dilemma. We’ve all been there! Many clinicians and hosting barns don’t allow for changes or any kind, but as a small horse business in close-knit community, we like to offer as much flexibility as possible. While your registration fee can’t be refunded, we can waive the change fee if you find another rider to take your daughter’s spot.”
Be kind. Be firm. Be the boss.
-BB