The Golden Rule
August 24, 2025
The customer is always right.
For the longest time, that was the golden rule in the business world. Treat your customers well and they will treat you well. The secret to a flourishing bottom line.
But not anymore.
Many corporations increasingly act as if they are doing you a favor by accepting your business, not the other way around. The customer has become a nuisance to them. A necessary evil at best grudgingly tolerated.
There are tons of examples. Perhaps the most egregious come from the world of professional sports, where they charge outrageous prices at the gate and at the concession stands, then treat their customers like criminals as they pass through “security.” So-called “security” checks designed only for the purpose of humiliation. Then once you get through “security,” you’re treated to endless political messages and nauseating land acknowledgments. It’s almost become like a sadistic game to them to see how far they can push the envelope.
But they’re not alone.
In the tech world, Microsoft is flipping the bird to anyone still using Windows 10. Buy a new computer or else. Why? Because they said so. Sure, they’ve got an official explanation. It’s for increased security, they say. For your protection. In reality, it’s a bullshit excuse to cash in on kickbacks they’re getting from hardware manufacturers.
Whether it’s lousy, irrelevant, late or completely nonexistent, the quality of communication from such companies has also taken a nosedive. Even major policy decisions which directly affect customers are left to the “you’re just supposed to know” adage.
When you contact these places to complain about their obnoxious behavior, it’s hard enough to get a real human to respond. When and if you finally get one, that person so often doesn’t speak fluent English or doesn’t have enough authority to deal with your issue. Call another number, they’ll say. Or they’ll just blow you off completely. If by some chance, they acknowledge your issue, the obligation frequently still rests with you to jump through their hoops.
Even when consumers rebel and take their business elsewhere, these same corporations turn tone-deaf. The old saying of “money talks” hardly applies anymore. It’s your fault that we’re failing, not ours.
The answer?
Keep complaining.
Make them work.
Take your business elsewhere.
Little by little, we can help move the needle in back the right direction.
Don’t take it like sheep.
Because a nation of sheep will invariably be governed by wolves.
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