Rule #2

Somehow, although this has always been our policy at CLC, it was never stated in our Policies Page. It is however in our FAQs, but I figured that since it's Rule #2 in our business (Rule #1 is the customer is always right – duh!), it warrants a prominent place in our Policies Page.

Rule #2: Once our turnaround time has reached its maximum of over 15 business days, we reserve the right to close our store in order to catch up. I think it’s only good business practice to define a maximum capacity for turnaround time and to implement a policy that’s fair to both customer and e-tailer. As a business owner, I know how important cash flow is. However, if positive cash flow comes at the expense of declining customer service, it’s a trade-off I’m not willing to make.

Look, far be it for me to preach e-tailer best practices; I’m the idiot who forgot to refund some pending orders remember? I’m just saying that personally, I cannot put a price tag on responsive and honest service because it speaks volumes about the business’ integrity and the people behind it. I can always purchase my supplies on credit. It wouldn't be right for me to over extend my customer's goodwill credit. Customer goodwill is earned the old-fashioned way – by providing stellar customer service and aligning the business’ operations with that of the customer’s interest.

I hope I didn’t sound too preachy. I know there are varying opinions regarding this topic. I simply wanted to state Crater Lake Company’s stance on this issue.

Thank you for your time.

And in other news – just a quick update on my search to find a new studio…My search is not going too well. My space and budget requirements are apparently a little too stringent, so I think I’m going to have to resort to Plan B. I’m holding out for a little longer though. Charlie said that there may be a larger space with plumbing that he can carve out into smaller units. There’s nothing available right now, but hopefully something will come up before the year’s over.