It is a known fact that after the lockdown, some businesses will not survive. In most case, this will be down to finical difficulty. However, some will not survive based on their reaction or action to customers complaints and refund request. Customers do not forget how they are treated during a need, crises or difficulty. It can be seen during this lockdown that some businesses or brands are not concerned with how to treat customers when it comes to money.
How a business is remembered after the COVID-19 lockdown may be down to how the customers or clients felt the business showed empathy to the circumstance we all faced as a nation, world and as human beings. It has been said that we are in the lockdown together. However, some business has shown they are not in it with everyone but want their money, which they think is the bottom line during this period. However, this does not seem right. P.R. guru indicates that the way a business or brand reacts during a crisis may determine if it will survive or not, how it viewed in history and the ethical ethos behind the business.
Businesses are reacting differently to the lockdown. The businesses getting it wrong are not thinking of the future of their brand or how customers will remember them. Instead, they are thinking of how to keep or have the money of their customers. Businesses who identify that, during this lockdown, it not all about money but about human emotions will come out on top. In contrast, those whose primary focus is money will leave a nasty taste with their customers. Examples of businesses getting it right in this lockdown include British Airways and David Lloyd. British Airways is allowing customers to get a full credit voucher on a pre-booked flight booked during the COVID-19 lockdown. In the option that customers may not be able to use the credit voucher, getting a full refund is there. David Lloyd has provided a three months direct debit payment break for its clients, with no strings attached. It has continued to offer a mobile application platform for clients to work-out at home. This singular act shows that British Airways and David Lloyd are in it together with their customers during the lockdown. The P.R. this will do for their brand will be priceless. I am aware of private schools that have provided a huge discount for their parents, while other schools have told parents not to pay the boarding fees as pupils are at home with parents. As a company, Eden Mobile Creche provided 100% credit note to clients that had a creche booking with us during the COVID-19 lockdown. Clients have no time limit on when to use the credit note, and in some instant, the client had no penalty on deposit.
When I hear of businesses or brands not providing full refund and deposit to customers during this lockdown, I feel they are opening a case for litigation when this is all over. As businesses and individuals, we are all at a financial loss during the lockdown. However, the mitigating steps taken will determine the litigation after the lockdown. The effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on businesses will be more visible after the lockdown, which will indicate how customers will remember businesses and how they want to engage with them.
