I was given the middle finger.

Well, not literally, but figurately. I think anyway.

Daniel and I wanted to put a patio in our backyard and knew of a local company we wanted to support, so we called them for an estimate.

We had mentioned we wanted the patio to be completed in early spring, in about 6-7 months. No problem, they said.

They came to scope the project and promised to get an estimate to us in the next week.

Two weeks went by, and we hadn’t heard back yet so I followed up with them.

Suddenly their tone changed. Now they can’t guarantee the project would be completed at all that following year.

What?

Surely, I misunderstood. They meant they couldn’t finish in the Spring, not the entire year, right?

For the next 10 days, having to wait 3-4 days in between each email, I struggled to get clarification of what they meant when finally, I was told they definitely could not guarantee a completion anytime next year.

Cue their middle finger.
We were being brushed off.
They no longer wanted our business.

I can only surmise they felt our project was too small for them and they wanted to hold off making any commitments in case a bigger fish to fry came about.

Which is fine. Every business has the right to refuse work. That’s not the issue here.

What’s not fine is stringing a prospective customer along for nearly a month with no intention of following through with what was promised.

What this company failed to realize is how their brand positioning was being negatively impacted by how they dealt with this situation.

We are no longer a fan of this company.
We will never like, comment or share any of their social media posts again.
We will never, ever, recommend them to anyone who is looking to have a patio done.
We will, most likely, tell our friends, neighbours and even our hairdresser about this negative experience. They, in return, will also follow the above 3 anti-brand moves. (Notice the possible never-ending circle here?)

We could, if we wanted to, leave a negative review on their Google My Business page, their Facebook page, and anywhere else the opportunity presents itself.
We could, if we wanted to, badmouth them to their competitors.
We could, if we wanted to, badmouth them to others in the landscaping industry, which could prevent future referrals from them.

And so on and so on.

Do you see how one small thing could blow up to have a huge, negative impact on a business brand?

All because they weren’t honest in the first place, not telling us they prefer to work on larger jobs and that we should find someone else.

Better yet, provide us with a few recommendations we could contact that would be more in alignment with our needs.

Instead, they opted to ghost us.
And we are left with a bad taste in our mouths.

So, if you ever get approached for a job that you don’t want to do, please take heed of my experience.

Don’t ghost, lie, or string them along needlessly.
You never know the negative domino effect that might impact your brand down the road.

Instead, respond professionally and responsibly.
Be kind, put yourself in their shoes – how would you like to be treated?

That’s how to build a positive brand image, one customer interaction at a time.

It’s ok to turn down work. It’s not ok to be rude about it.

Do you agree?

About the Author, Susan Friesen

Located in the lower mainland of B.C., Susan Friesen is a visionary brand strategist, entrepreneur, and founder of British Columbia’s premiere boutique web development and digital marketing agency, eVision Media.

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, she is an expert in helping businesses establish their online presence and create a strong brand identity.

Her passion for empowering entrepreneurs and small business owners to succeed in the digital world has earned her a reputation as a leading authority in the branding and marketing industry.

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