In our many years of experience in working with end users, we are still amazed at how differently each person uses a program or website. Every so often, we receive a bug report that we cannot reproduce, only to find out that in the series of steps to reproduce the bug, we clicked enter while the user entered the tab key. When sending us feedback, help us help you by recording the exact steps you took when you found the bug — down to the tabs and clicks!

As a small business owner, I understand how much more difficult it is to find new customers than it is to retain existing customers. And in my opinion, customer service is the best way to keep customers. Sometimes that may mean going above and beyond what seems reasonable at the time.

Nordtrom’s is always the perfect example of going above and beyond and I can personally cite another great example of their service. I purchased a pair of sandals several months ago and wore them around my house to make sure they were comfortable. When they passed that test, I wore them to make some sales calls and was disappointed to have a blister on every single toe when I got home. While, I never had to test out Norstrom’s customer service in my many years of shopping, I could not get past the blisters. They refunded my money without a receipt, no questions asked. I will continue to shop at Nordtrom’s.

On the other hand, last night I returned to one of my favorite local pubs, Pogue Mahones in Parker, Colorado with a gift card in hand. After dinner and drinks with my husband and friends, I happily enclosed the gift card for payment. The waitress returned the card to me saying the pub was under new ownership and would no longer accept the gift card. Amazingly, the waitress *got* how inappropriate it was, but the new owner would not budge on his decision. The end result? He chose to lose 4 previously loyal customers over about $20 (an estimate of his cost) in beer.