when someone complains

happens 2 or 3 times a year. nearly always something eaten that nobody
mentioned. how I answer it is worth more than the job it came from.

THE SIX RULES

1. say sorry in the FIRST LINE and mean it. no "if". no "unfortunately".
   and never "as stated in the terms"

2. dont argue about whose fault it was EVEN WHEN ITS THEIRS. a goat cant
   read a garden. arguing wins nothing and costs a customer

3. replace the thing. same kind. and put it in MYSELF. not a voucher. not a
   credit note. the actual thing, in the actual hole, by me

4. add one small thing they didnt ask for. costs me almost nothing and its
   the bit they tell people about

5. say what Ive changed so it cant happen again. one line. turns an apology
   into a promise

6. NEVER take it off the bill instead. money back feels like the end of
   something. putting it right keeps them. the ones Ive put right have sent
   me more work than the ones who never complained

the one joke rule still applies. one. small. at the goats expense and never
at the customers. the goat did it so the goat takes the blame. nobody stays
cross with a goat for long.

what its cost me:
Larkspur Cottage, may. $85 of roses on a $60 job.
shes since sent me three neighbours.
thats the whole argument for this page.