Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/983171
W EEKLY EDITION MAY 16, 2018 Dealing with Customers You Don't Want to Serve …continued By Karleen Kos, PSAI Executive Director • S tick to your policies consistently. It is much more credible to say "no" to little Jimmy's birthday party and not have it seen as discrimination if you say "no" to everyone's birthday party. If you say to the protesters, "Sorry, we don't serve that area" b e sure they aren't staring at one of your units across the street from where they plan to be. Credibility is based on consistency. Avoid negative blowback from denial of service. The Kentucky case has been all over the internet since it occurred earlier t his month. Perhaps it hasn't hurt the operator locally, but odds are good it didn't do the company any favors either. In order to minimize such repercussions consider the following if you deny service. DO • Be prepared with trained staff, clear policies, an d consistent procedures to identify potential issues early in the sales/inquiry process. • Remain professional and nonjudgmental of the customer or his/her intended use of the unit(s). • Explain the policy and how it applies to all similar situations. • Provide referrals to other companies who can help the customer. DON'T • Wait until the last minute to refuse service and leave the customer in a bad position. • Search for an excuse not to serve someone you don't like. If the policy didn't exist before the customer r equest, it is going to be a lot harder to justify denial of service. • Make exceptions to policies when it's convenient. This will undermine a more rigid adherence to it when you refuse service. If your service area is 50 miles, don't go to 60 miles for some one you like unless you're prepared to serve everyone within 60 miles. When in doubt, consult an attorney. In extreme cases you can be prosecuted for refusing service to a potential customer. More likely, you'll just suffer from a lot of negative publici ty that will have a negative impact on your business prospects if you mishandle these situations. I'm not a lawyer and, probably, neither are you. The information contained in this article is based on best practices in the association industry and basic kn owledge of business law – but it isn't meant to be legal advice. Before you deny service in a situation that is ambiguous in any way, you might be best served by talking to legal counsel. PAGE 5