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EP 382: Context Clues: What makes for a fair refund policy?


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No one likes being asked for a refund. In fact, I find the thought of it stomach-churning. And when what’s being refunded is the product of your time, experience, and expertise… it’s tempting to put every obstacle you can think of between a customer and a refund. In this episode, I’ll take you on a journey from the 17th century all the way through the modern era of online business refund policies to answer the question: What makes for a fair refund policy?

Footnotes:

  • About Josiah Wedgwood
  • Josiah Wedgwood: An Eighteenth-Century Entrepreneur in Salesmanship and Marketing Techniques” by Neil McKendrick
  • Beyond The Pottery: The Creative Giant, Josiah Wedgwood” on YouTube
  • They Broke It” by Judith Flanders
  • What a Hundred-Year-Old Department Store Can Tell Us About the Overlap of Retail, Religion and Politics” by Tobias Carroll
  • Many (Un)happy Returns? The Changing Nature of Retail Product Returns and Future Research Directions” Journal of Retailing
  • Online Outlier & Regina Anaejionu
  • More on “caveat emptor” (the buyer beware)
  • Is the customer always right?” The Merck Report, June 1915
  • Is the customer the enemy?” by Chris MacDonald
  • The Customer As Enemy” by Michael Schrage
  • Kaye Publicity & Dana Kaye
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    What WorksBy Tara McMullin