I encountered an example of great customer service in the grocery store the other day.  I was in line behind an elderly woman who, when she got to the clerk, explained that she had been in a week before and had asked for a book of stamps that she claimed she did not receive.  She had a receipt that showed that she had indeed been charged for stamps.

Now, there is no way of knowing whether or not she actually received her stamps.  So, the clerk called the manager over and he immediately, without looking at her receipt or requiring any further explanation, gave her a book of stamps and apologized about the inconvenience.

The manager could have easily said to her that he had no way of knowing whether or not she really got the stamps and that she should be more careful in the future.  However, the store manager understood a few things about good cutomer service:

1) The lifetime value of that customer is considerably more valuable than the 8 or 9 bucks for a book of stamps.

2) Not only did he leave the woman with a good impresion of the store and its management, but everyone else that witnessed the scene also walked away with the same impression (including me).

3) People that have negative experiences are much more likely to share their experiences with other customers.

I think this is a great example of how going a little out of the way and suspending disbelief (the customer is always right) for a minute will lead to greater customer loyalty.  Make the customer happy and the payoff will be greater in the long run.