28 Sep Is Kill Them with Kindness Dead?

We’ve all heard the old adage, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” But it sure doesn’t feel like people believe it anymore. Or, at least they are not acting like it.

Seems everywhere I turn people are screaming and demanding, to be taken care of, reimbursed, or even noticed. I see it in airports, restaurants, even in offices. It seems the new adage is, “You can catch more flies with an attitude and a megaphone than with common courtesy.”

And I don’t understand it. In my own work with customers, I always work harder to satisfy those who are pleasant, professional, and courteous, than those who get angry and are ill-tempered with me.

Loud, demanding and angry has never been my approach, mostly because I’m an even-keel kind of gal. I rarely get mad or lose my temper. I’m also honest and direct, the latter sometimes to a fault. Therefore, that’s pretty much how I address situations, and it tends to work well for me.

Recently I had an issue with Chase, the financial institution. I had just opened a credit card for my monthly recurring business expenses, and I completely flaked on making the first payment on time. It was a simple rookie error I know better than to make.

However, this was a particularly expensive mistake, and not just because of the late-payment fee. The card came with an introductory low interest rate, and because of the late payment, it automatically jumped to a high rate. Since I was just starting my business and not in a position to pay off the bill every month, this was going to be an unplanned costly hit to my overhead.

No one to blame but me on this one, but I called Chase anyway to see if there was anything they could, or would, do for me. The customer service rep who answered the phone was named Chase, no lie! So, the first thing I commented on was that Chase, working at Chase, was helping me while I was sitting next to my foster dog, also named Chase, again no lie!

I explained to the customer service rep, Chase, what had happened. I did not make up a story or say the bill was lost in the mail, or that my dog Chase ate it. I took full responsibility for missing the payment due date and shared the negative impact the change in interest rate would have on my fledgling business. I politely asked if there was anything he could do to help me.

The lovely man, Chase, reversed the late payment and kept the interest rate low on the card. It was truly that easy and very much appreciated!

I don’t know if Chase, the financial institution, has a lenient policy on how to address issues like mine, or if the lovely man, Chase, simply chose to take care of me with the authority he had. I do know that I did not have to scream, yell, or use threats to get the resolution I requested.

Thanks to Chase and Chase, I am going to continue to keep the “honey” approach alive and well.

Footnote: Chase the foster dog has since found a wonderful forever home!