Quit Following “Company Policy” And Do The Right Thing!

A few weeks ago, I was traveling for work and found myself in a pickle. I woke up in my hotel room to discover that my charging cable for my cell phone was broken. I had a dead phone. Great!

I needed to make a very important personal phone call. So I asked at the front desk if they had a charger I could use for just a few minutes. Yes, I was told, they do have a charger I can use, but it must remain up at the front desk BEHIND the counter. What? I thought. Why can’t I bring it to my room and return it in 15 minutes? So I asked that very question. “It’s our policy” was the response. 

Oh, that terrible response that has damaged the reputation of so many businesses. There was no reasoning behind it, just " it’s our policy".  

So I asked why, and predictably was told that, in the past, a couple of their chargers didn’t get returned.

It immediately occurred to me that the hotel has my credit card on file for “incidentals”. On top of that, I have stayed at this chain enough times to earn the highest status tier in their customer loyalty program, and I have stayed at this very location numerous times. So I implored the Customer “Service” Associate to reconsider, explaining the situation, my urgent need to make a very important and personal call, reassuring her that if I didn’t return the charger they could bill my credit card the $5 it would cost to buy a new one on Amazon.

Her response was absolutely infuriating. She said, “We don’t even let our guests from (company name) take this charger into their rooms”. She referenced a company that this hotel location has a contract with and about 1 or 2 employees per weekday night stay there. The funny thing is, I believe she thought that would make me feel better. 

Well, if they can’t take the charger to their room, certainly I wouldn’t be allowed to, as if they are so high above me. 

I’d be willing to bet that the contracted rate this company has is substantially less than the rate I paid for my stay (and all my other stays there), making my stay far more profitable for them. In other words, more money to offset the cost of this very expensive charger that I might accidentally not return.

Following Policy – She saved her company from the possibility of having to buy a new $5 charger, but lost a very loyal and profitable customer in me.

It’s time to quit following policy and do the right thing! 

I’m sure nearly everyone reading this has a similar story. How many businesses fail because of poor service? How many small businesses thrive because of exceptional service? If you fear that breaking “company policy” to do the right thing will get you reprimanded or even terminated, you’re not working for the right kind of company. 

If you want to thrive at anything you’re doing in life, one of the most important things you can do is serve others, even if it goes against your stupid company policy.