Hidden Fees Or "HA! Too late! We've gotcha now!"

I think perhaps one of the worst ways to conduct a business is to incorporate hidden fees or not offer the fees up front when renting a unit to a customer. Every relationship should be based upon trust. I have had many customers call or visit asking me to tell them more about our rates and our facility and upon explaining our fees to them, they would stop me and thank me profusely for being honest with them. Some would even share the horror stories of signing the lease first for a competitor and then having to pay an astronomical fee to get in when they thought they were getting their first month for a dollar.

Honesty is always the best policy. I like to explain to our customers what our fees are immediately. This always leaves an open door for more dialogue. I can explain why we have these fees and in some circumstances, how we can waive these fees. I am then able to tell them about all of our amenities and what we do to keep them happy while they are here. John Russell, President of Harley Davidson, says that "The more you engage with customers the clearer things become and the easier it is to determine what you should be doing." We want our customers to feel valued. We also want them to know once they have placed their items in storage here, they can focus on the other items in their daily lives and not be concerned about what they have here.

Customer service is vastly becoming a thing of the past. Corporate America is growing and we are losing our sense of value for the very people who keep us in business. Henry Ford said it best, "It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages."  If you want to bring in and retain customers, stay honest.  I promise you won't regret it.  

Michelle Armstrong

Manager

Star Storage, Grandview, Missouri