“Caveat Emptor” or “buyer beware” may bring to mind several probably-not-so-funny-at-the-time stories:
An as-is home purchased without an inspection and also without functioning heat, air or water (not me—honest!). An automobile purchased for cash from Craigslist with all the bells and whistles plus a switched VIN number. Winning the (insert foreign country name here) national lotto.
I could go on and on.
But I won’t.
Buyer BEWARE.
It’s YOUR money you’re plunking down for an item or a service to be performed.
ASK QUESTIONS.
As a former provider of World Class Customer Service in the unforgiving universe known as “retail” and as a current provider of World Class Customer Service in the challenging, rewarding field of genealogical research, I welcome questions regarding the services I provide. My schedule of services and fees is on this website, but it is impossible to foresee every situation. That is where the communication comes in.
Point in fact, a little over a month ago, a potential client called me and said,
“Hey, I’ve got a suggestion for you.”
“Lay it on me.”
“I know you said in your email where to send the check and who to make it out to, but why isn’t all that on the contract, too?”
“Huh. Well, I suppose that would be because I didn’t think of it. I’ll fix that. And thanks!”
I took no offense to her suggestion and I fixed it.
I also took no offense to the questions she asked regarding the research she was considering. I explained what I needed from her and how I would use the information to formulate a research plan to find the documents she needed. When we hung up, we both knew what to expect and what the next steps would be.
Easy peasy.
Just ask enough questions so that you have a good feeling about it when you hang up the phone.
An as-is home purchased without an inspection and also without functioning heat, air or water (not me—honest!). An automobile purchased for cash from Craigslist with all the bells and whistles plus a switched VIN number. Winning the (insert foreign country name here) national lotto.
I could go on and on.
But I won’t.
Buyer BEWARE.
It’s YOUR money you’re plunking down for an item or a service to be performed.
ASK QUESTIONS.
As a former provider of World Class Customer Service in the unforgiving universe known as “retail” and as a current provider of World Class Customer Service in the challenging, rewarding field of genealogical research, I welcome questions regarding the services I provide. My schedule of services and fees is on this website, but it is impossible to foresee every situation. That is where the communication comes in.
Point in fact, a little over a month ago, a potential client called me and said,
“Hey, I’ve got a suggestion for you.”
“Lay it on me.”
“I know you said in your email where to send the check and who to make it out to, but why isn’t all that on the contract, too?”
“Huh. Well, I suppose that would be because I didn’t think of it. I’ll fix that. And thanks!”
I took no offense to her suggestion and I fixed it.
I also took no offense to the questions she asked regarding the research she was considering. I explained what I needed from her and how I would use the information to formulate a research plan to find the documents she needed. When we hung up, we both knew what to expect and what the next steps would be.
Easy peasy.
Just ask enough questions so that you have a good feeling about it when you hang up the phone.