Leticia and I recently celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary in Myrtle Beach. It should have been an experience as tranquil as an Atlantic Ocean breeze. After all, a 17th-floor condo with a stunning view of the beach sounded like the perfect way to mark this milestone.
The resort itself was fantastic, but the experience was marred by something entirely unexpected — ridiculous, over-the-top customer communications from the condo owner.
Communication Chaos
You won’t believe all the poorly written, confusing, overly demanding, paranoid-sounding emails. You can read them for yourself (vendor information has been redacted):
August 5 email
August 8 email
August 9 email
The first email I received was a whopping 1,700+ words long! It was filled with warnings about condo rules written in a variety of formatting styles — ALL CAPS, highlighted sections, larger text — and a list of demands that would make anyone anxious.
For example, we were warned not to stain the towels with make-up, not to leave the patio door open while the air conditioner was running, and not to wash sand off in the sinks or bathtubs because it clogs the drains. Plus, be sure to wash all your dishes and put them back where they were, don’t change any of the TV settings, don’t remove towels from the condo, and take out all your garbage when you leave.
All these rules were presented in a way that felt more like threats than helpful guidance. And violating any of these rules would result in additional hefty service charges.
Personally, I didn’t feel I was trusted to be a responsible adult.
Blindsided By a Separate Agreement, Additional Deposit
To make matters worse, there were sometimes duplicate emails, a separate rental agreement (7 pages, 83 line items) that was sprung on us at the last minute, and an unexpected demand for a mandatory security deposit that was never mentioned in the Airbnb listing.
When I inquired about the mandatory security deposit, I received an email from someone else at the company who wrote: “This is not mandatory, you may skip this email request no need to worry as it will not affect your reservation.”
Huh?
Plus, upon arrival at the condo, we found multiple pages posted in various locations about those rules and additional ones… and again the threat of charges if broken. (I had to refrain from ripping these off the walls, folding them into paper airplanes, and throwing them off our 17-floor balcony into the Atlantic Ocean below. But I didn’t want to stress out the marine life with all these rules)
This was certainly not conducive to a relaxing and enjoyable stay.
Refuge at a Stress-Free Beach
Fortunately, the beach was free of this stress, and we enjoyed our time there. It was so beautiful and peaceful — and essentially free of a tsunami of rules!
For Leticia, having grown up near the Southern California coast, the beach is her happy place. So this part of our vacation was a hit! We didn’t let the rest of it get us down and had a wonderful anniversary after all.
But this lack of clear, concise, and customer-friendly communication from the condo owner turned what should have been more of a stress-free experience into a bit of a nerve-wracking one.
I even sent a follow-up email offering to help this Airbnb vendor (who has multiple properties) improve their communications. No response. Perhaps I should have utilized ALL CAPS, yellow highlights, and threatened a service charge for ignoring my email?
Keys to Great Customer Communications
Here’s what this experience teaches regarding good customer communications:
- Clarity is Key: Long, rambling emails loaded with unnecessary details only confuse and frustrate customers. Information should be clear, concise, and organized under relevant subheads.
- Tone Matters: The tone of your communication can make or break the customer experience. Threatening language and excessive emphasis on rules create anxiety rather than a raving review.
- Consistency is Crucial: Avoid sending duplicate emails or surprising customers with last-minute demands. Be transparent from the start and ensure all communications align with what was initially promised.
Poor communication can turn an otherwise excellent product or service into a negative experience. Make sure your communication strategy enhances, rather than detracts from, your customers’ experience.
The 3 Big Takeaways
- Communicate clearly and concisely to avoid overwhelming your customers.
- Use a tone that builds trust and reassurance, not fear and anxiety.
- Ensure consistency and transparency in all customer interactions.
Have you ever had a similar experience? I’d love to hear about it. Email me.
Jeffery E. Pizzino, APR is a spin-free public relations pro who is passionate about telling the why of your story with clarity, impact and authenticity. He began his PR career in 1987 at Ketchum Public Relations in New York City but has spent the majority of his career as a solopreneur. He’s AuthenticityPR’s Chief Authentic Officer and also functions as the fractional CCO for technology startup Converus.
Jeff has an MBA in Management from Western International University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications — with an emphasis in PR — from Brigham Young University. He’s a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but also holds an Italian citizenship. Jeff and his storyteller wife Leticia have four children and four grandchildren. In his extremely limited nonwork hours, he studies italiano, practices guitar, gardens, disc golfs, reads, listens to New Wave music, serves in his church, watches BYU football, and plays Dominion and Seven Wonders. Email Jeff.
