Recently, one of my companies received a complaint from a customer in Sweden. 

Since the UK left the EU, parcels sent from the UK to Europe are now held by customs, where the customer now needs to pay customs fees and taxes. 

Prior to Brexit, we could ship to anywhere in the EU, and parcels would not be subject to additional fees and taxes.

We've been using a service to make selling to the EU easier by using a SaaS company to handle the VAT/customs submissions. The service converts to the buyer's local currency, charges the appropriate taxes, and files them to the relevant tax authority. Each parcel going to the EU should now include our IOSS number, fly through customs, and land at the customer's address. 

On this occasion, the service didn't work as intended. The parcel got stuck in customs in Sweden, and Swedish customs failed to notify the customer. It was only when the customer used the tracking number we provided that they discovered the parcel was being held. 

Not only did the customer have an unnecessary wait, but the customer ended up paying more than twice the cost of the goods ordered in customs fees and additional tax.

How would you feel if you were the customer in this situation? 

I hate it when people have a bad experience when purchasing. It happens rarely, but when it does, I do my best to put it right and ask the team to do whatever they can. 

What did we do on this occasion? I gave the customer a full refund. I want people to have a good experience when buying from my company, even when things don't go as planned. This sale has cost us, but I'd rather win a customer's heart and have them share their positive outcome than protect the revenue. 

Experience doesn't end with a product. Any touch point is an opportunity to build a relationship, and it's important to maintain and build that relationship, even when you've delivered. Go out of your way to be memorable for doing the right thing.

Be a force for good in your community, and your community will thank you.