Should I send this email?

[Dingdell]

Basically a new client has lied through their teeth and said they turned up for an appt on a saturday 2 weeks ago when they didn't. I spent 20 mins waiting outside the clinic gates just in case they were lost and rang them on the number they gave to contact them but no reply. I specifically emailed her with the code to get in the gate (that she was allegedly standing outside of for 45 mins) which she received but chose to ignore deciding that when she approached the gates they should open despite my email telling her to use the code.

She has said she waited outside the gates for 45 mins, rang and left messages (impossible as we don't have a message facility on our answerphone - it just gives opening times) and has sent several emails. I rang her office on the Monday after she didn't show and they said she had gone on holiday. Amazingly today is the first I have heard from her - presumably she has got back from holiday and received her bank statement which shows she has been charged for the appt. We always charge for the first one up front to ensure they turn up, and our correspondence to the client (which she acknowledged she received) clearly states that she has already paid as agreed when she made the booking and that there is no refund for a no show or cancellation within 24 hours. (unless we fill their slot obv)   

She is lying so she can make her appt again to come in and not have to pay. I detest liars and don't want to treat her but can't be botherered to argue with her - life is too short. I would prefer to refund her money and be done with her. Let her go to an inferior local clinic where the therapist is inexperienced and works from home with cats wandering in from the garden during the treatment.

Can I get away with sending her the following? I'm looking for suggestions as to how to be lovely to her while subtly insulting her at the same time. I'm obv not looking to get her business in the future but want to phrase this in such a way that I give her her money back, she gets what she wants and I get to tell her what a prize idiot she is.


Hi XXXX - well it gets stranger and stranger because had you been sat outside our gates for 45 minutes as you suggest we would definitely have seen each other.


The number you gave us was a different number from the one you've put on todays email. You gave us XXXX when you made your booking which obviously was not transferring to you. Not a lot I can do about that as it's the number you provided us with to contact you on but you were not contactable on that number on the day.


Our phone has a message on there advising of reception opening times but not the facility to leave a message so I don't know where you were ringing and how you left a message - some poor person is Aberdeen is probably still wondering why you were trying to get hold of them about a colonic appointment!

I've checked the bulk emails and can't find anything from you unfortunately. Very strange that this one managed to get through.

The gates do open automatically during the week but at times when they don't we prefer to let you know the gate code specifically in writing by email rather than publish it on a world wide website as that may be deemed a bit irresponsible but very helpful to burglars!!


You acknowledge that you did receive the email which specifically and clearly stated the gate code for acess, you read that information, you had been made aware that it was required but chose to ignore it.


I will be refunding your payment. I don't feel it would be fair to take payment from you as you were unable to act on the one instruction provided, I will be looking to simplify it to avoid this happening to other clients.

Thoughts?

[AndrewT]

Why are you refunding her anything?

Just say you prefer to deal with clients who act in a more professional manner and supply her with the details of the cat lady.

Or am I missing something?

[Dingdell]

Why are you refunding her anything?

Just say you prefer to deal with clients who act in a more professional manner and supply her with the details of the cat lady.

Or am I missing something?

Because however much I know she's lying it will always be a case of she said/I said. She has said (in her first email to me today before I had even responded) that she intends to go via her card company to get an enquiry and possible refund which automatically costs me as a retailer £60 whether her query stands up or not. I'm in a loose loose situation - bizarely I can't afford to keep her payment!

[jizzemm]

Why are you refunding her anything?

Just say you prefer to deal with clients who act in a more professional manner and supply her with the details of the cat lady.

Or am I missing something?

Because however much I know she's lying it will always be a case of she said/I said. She has said (in her first email to me today before I had even responded) that she intends to go via her card company to get an enquiry and possible refund which automatically costs me as a retailer £60 whether her query stands up or not. I'm in a loose loose situation - bizarely I can't afford to keep her payment!

im in for £10 5 More blondes ??.. dont refund her plz, saying she is going to the C.C is a threat, and one she may know how much it cost..

[Digger]

She has said she waited outside the gates for 45 mins, rang and left messages (impossible as we don't have a message facility on our answerphone - it just gives opening times) and has sent several emails. I rang her office on the Monday after she didn't show and they said she had gone on holiday. Amazingly today is the first I have heard from her - presumably she has got back from holiday and received her bank statement which shows she has been charged for the appt. We always charge for the first one up front to ensure they turn up, and our correspondence to the client (which she acknowledged she received) clearly states that she has already paid as agreed when she made the booking and that there is no refund for a no show or cancellation within 24 hours. (unless we fill their slot obv)    

Pun intentional?? 

I would send the email.....but no way would i refund her payment! If your terms & conditions are clear & you have kept all emails how can she complain?

[thetank]

Apologise, re-schedule the appointment, stick the tube up her arse and then...

[Swordpoker]

To send her this email and refund her is a bad idea imo. She'll be happy with her refund no matter what you write and she will only be left with a bad opinion of you. Not good when she tells all her frends.

She knows she is in the wrong. Send her a nice and simple email saying refund no problem and recommending the cat lady. This way she gets to feel both guilty and rejected while you have been nice and kind  

[bhoywonder]

To send her this email and refund her is a bad idea imo. She'll be happy with her refund no matter what you write and she will only be left with a bad opinion of you. Not good when she tells all her frends.

She knows she is in the wrong. Send her a nice and simple email saying refund no problem and recommending the cat lady. This way she gets to feel both guilty and rejected while you have been nice and kind  

yeah

business 1st


personal shit later

[Dewi_cool]

give her a credit note and shove it up the wrong hole

[suzanne]

Basically a new client has lied through their teeth and said they turned up for an appt on a saturday 2 weeks ago when they didn't. I spent 20 mins waiting outside the clinic gates just in case they were lost and rang them on the number they gave to contact them but no reply. I specifically emailed her with the code to get in the gate (that she was allegedly standing outside of for 45 mins) which she received but chose to ignore deciding that when she approached the gates they should open despite my email telling her to use the code.

She has said she waited outside the gates for 45 mins, rang and left messages (impossible as we don't have a message facility on our answerphone - it just gives opening times) and has sent several emails. I rang her office on the Monday after she didn't show and they said she had gone on holiday. Amazingly today is the first I have heard from her - presumably she has got back from holiday and received her bank statement which shows she has been charged for the appt. We always charge for the first one up front to ensure they turn up, and our correspondence to the client (which she acknowledged she received) clearly states that she has already paid as agreed when she made the booking and that there is no refund for a no show or cancellation within 24 hours. (unless we fill their slot obv)   

She is lying so she can make her appt again to come in and not have to pay. I detest liars and don't want to treat her but can't be botherered to argue with her - life is too short. I would prefer to refund her money and be done with her. Let her go to an inferior local clinic where the therapist is inexperienced and works from home with cats wandering in from the garden during the treatment.

Can I get away with sending her the following? I'm looking for suggestions as to how to be lovely to her while subtly insulting her at the same time. I'm obv not looking to get her business in the future but want to phrase this in such a way that I give her her money back, she gets what she wants and I get to tell her what a prize idiot she is.


Hi XXXX - well it gets stranger and stranger because had you been sat outside our gates for 45 minutes as you suggest we would definitely have seen each other.


The number you gave us was a different number from the one you've put on todays email. You gave us XXXX when you made your booking which obviously was not transferring to you. Not a lot I can do about that as it's the number you provided us with to contact you on but you were not contactable on that number on the day.


Our phone has a message on there advising of reception opening times but not the facility to leave a message so I don't know where you were ringing and how you left a message - some poor person is Aberdeen is probably still wondering why you were trying to get hold of them about a colonic appointment!

I've checked the bulk emails and can't find anything from you unfortunately. Very strange that this one managed to get through.

The gates do open automatically during the week but at times when they don't we prefer to let you know the gate code specifically in writing by email rather than publish it on a world wide website as that may be deemed a bit irresponsible but very helpful to burglars!!


You acknowledge that you did receive the email which specifically and clearly stated the gate code for acess, you read that information, you had been made aware that it was required but chose to ignore it.


I will be refunding your payment. I don't feel it would be fair to take payment from you as you were unable to act on the one instruction provided, I will be looking to simplify it to avoid this happening to other clients.

Thoughts?

The email looks fine to me but I would leave out the "poor person in Aberdeen" bit, also the last paragraph would sound better if you said something along the lines of ...I will refund your payment as I am fully booked for the for seeable future and am therefor unable to reschedule your appointment. I think she will get the message :-)

[tikay]

Life's too short Tracey, don't send it, just move on.

If you are not careful, these people become like a sponge, soaking up your life with their pithy moans & groans, & self-centred attitude.

Forget her, she's not worth the hassle. She's the loser, not you.

[wader leg]

Don't refund, people lie to try to avoid paying for stuff if they can get away with it, accept it as a fact of life. If you end up with a £60 charge from the CC company so be it but don't give her the satisfaction of thinking she has won by refunding her.
Anyway you can't be that much out of pocket can you. How much does an out of hours appointment cost?

[The-Crow]

dear Tracey,

Ok, We sell loads of stuff on Ebay, hay, straw, nest building instructions etc, but we always get one customer who does not pay after winning an auction and causes trouble. We get people saying the goods never arrived, and we cannot prove we sent it even with recorded delivery as it takes 7 weeks to get a search done . So we always refund the money.Bad feed back cannot be challenged (easily)

We then strike the customer off our list of buyers so they can't do it again. Preserving our 100% positive feed back is worth a loss here an there.

I suggest say nothing , do not let her make another booking , ban her from your customer list, and refund only if you have too

Hope this helps

from The Crow

[suzanne]

Sorry Tony but I dont agree.

Tracey has obviously worked hard to achieve where she is today and I admire that. She knows this woman is lying and not only that but she is trying to say that it was her fault for her not making the appointment.

Let the woman know that she is in the wrong, offer her a refund (if you have to) and hope she suffers big time with the next clinic/cat lady she books.

[tikay]

Sorry Tony but I dont agree.

Tracey has obviously worked hard to achieve where she is today and I admire that. She knows this woman is lying and not only that but she is trying to say that it was her fault for her not making the appointment.

Let the woman know that she is in the wrong, offer her a refund (if you have to) and hope she suffers big time with the next clinic/cat lady she books.

I agree 100% with para 2, but that's not my point.

The lady customer/knocker knows she's wrong, telling her will make no difference.

My point is, Tracey is a genuine & kindly soul, & engaging with low-lifes rarely results in anyone winning. Tracey would waste a whole bunch of negative energy on this half-wit woman, time which she could better spend without polluting herself & her mind by mixing with such time-wasters. Some folks just like to be difficult for difficult's sake, but they can't see past the end of their nose. You can't win an argument with an idiot.

It's just a waste of good time to argue with those who are intent on dodging their bills, & in the greater scheme of things, it's not cost-effective to engage with them. Karma always catches up with them.

But I agree, we'd all approach this differently.