The following ECP reading material may contain some disturbing thoughts and reverse psychology. Names have been withheld since they don't really matter. 

Just when you thought it was safe to say you were having a spectacular ECP day at work...here comes...Trouble.

That's great! We can't wait to welcome Trouble's behavior with open minds and our undivided attention. What a memorable ECP learning experience it is whenever Trouble shows up. Hey Trouble, pick me, pick me.

Trouble has no specific age, race, gender or job description. Don't expect Trouble to give you any forewarning. The larger the audience the more Trouble likes to be the center of attention. That's why it makes sense for every practice to have a chain of command with specific guidelines to follow when faced with Trouble. 

How do you handle Trouble with refund mentality?
“These glasses aren't doing what they're supposed to do. I can't see and everything's blurry. You said they would be good and I hate them. I want a refund so I can take my prescription somewhere else!”

Answer: L.O.V.E.

Listen
Own up
Verify
Empathize

Listen to Trouble's version of the story. Own up to your ECP role in the situation. Verify that you understand what Trouble is telling you and repeat it back. Empathize with Trouble and have a positive end result in sight.

Refund policies vary. There are decision makers that are quick to grab their checkbook to write Trouble a refund, those that refuse to ever give refunds and case by case refund decision makers. 

Recently I listened to a discussion between several ECP practices on the topic of refunds and I ended up leaving the room thinking about how far off course some of their reasoning seemed to me. One ECP was so angry as he tried to prove his point about never giving anyone their money back. No refunds. No matter what. Too bad so sad. Let them go somewhere else. Tell them to get out and never come back. I actually felt sorry for this guy who continued to interrupt others as they tried to get a word in on how they handle Trouble. I contained myself from standing up and shouting L.O.V.E. during the middle of the discussion. Instead I decided it would be safer for me to shout it out in print. 

When you are faced with Trouble's refund request then acknowledging that refund request is going to be necessary. However, listening to Trouble and immediately throwing up in their face or vomiting the fact that there are “NO refunds” should be avoided at all costs.

Think about a time when (in your mind) you had legitimate complaints about a product, requested a refund and without hesitation the person that served you when you made the purchase replied “NO refunds”. Leading with those non-negotiable words of closure can create Trouble on steroids. Trouble will climb the chain of command in a heartbeat. If you are the chain of command then Trouble may take their complaints in a different direction to outside sources.

Don't put off or avoid Trouble once you are aware of their complaints. Trouble will usually tell 10-12 people about a business that provided poor service. You don't want or need that to happen. Trouble may even kick it up a notch and scroll down social media avenue telling millions. The internet is like a gigantic business card for your practice that the entire universe has access to. Trouble may very well decide to post some free dumb of speech stuff about your practice since you did not show them L.O.V.E. Bad social media interaction can be spread virally in seconds. It is smart to stay up-to-date with social media patient engagement. If you have social media networking brainiacs on staff then divvy up the internet responsibilities and set aside ample time for them to tweet, post, blog and video. Online questions, comments or complaints should be addressed daily. Any damaging reviews should be resolved and removed yesterday.

Trouble may have legitimate complaints that are just channeled improperly. In the above refund mentality example, Trouble had been unhappy for several months so someone was going to get an earful. Trouble's frustration ended up having nothing to do with the eyewear. It took ECP ears, empathy and five minutes with the O.D. to turn Trouble's frown upside down. Never mind that it took so long for Trouble to decide to come back to us. Whether it's been a week, a month or a year, time is irrelevant at the moment. Not being satisfied carries no grace period in Trouble's mind. If you zero in on time before dissatisfaction then you lack empathy in the eyes of Trouble.

If Trouble threatens unlawful behavior then cover your ears and run. Sorry, I just had a flashback from a practice I was working in a few years ago. One of the policies was not to try and reason with an angry patient without the doctor. So our front desk staff member jumped up from her seat and covered her ears and ran when Trouble threatened to stay there forever until we fixed his problem. Your practice really should have a panic button, code word or sign that staff uses when law enforcement help is needed. If Trouble threatens to get Sue involved then your legal adviser for the practice should step in and advise you on how to further communicate with Trouble and Sue.

I saved the most challenging type of Trouble for last. That's the Shh...Trouble that doesn't speak up before they decide to take their business elsewhere. The ECP wasn't even aware that something went wrong and Trouble wasn't going to tell them. We've all inherited Shh...Trouble from other ECP practices and at times we are shocked to hear their reason for leaving. If Shh...Trouble felt ripped off, ignored or mistreated by that “other” practice then continue to shower them with L.O.V.E. seeking the best in sight. 

You don't ever have to dread seeing Trouble walk through the front door if you don't want to. Just put your L.O.V.E. to the test and show them that money can't buy you L.O.V.E!