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Jason Fried: If Customers Trust Your Apologies, You Are Doing Everything Right

By Jason Fried · Leadership · 1 min read

Companies and politicians are really bad at apologizing. They say 'we apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused you.' That's not a real apology.

Key Points

'We apologize for any inconvenience' is what you say when you're full of it and don't care
Say 'I'm sorry, here's what happened, here's how we fix it' — people are very forgiving when you do it like that
If customers trust your apologies, you've got a lot of stuff right

Don't let your lawyers apologize for you. If you're a business owner, you should be doing the apologies.

The Coffee Shop Test

Fried: If you're at a coffee shop with hot coffee and you trip and spill it on somebody — what do you say? You say 'I'm so sorry, oh my God, I'm so sorry.' That's what you say when you mean it.

You don't say 'I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused you.' That's what you say when you're full of it and you don't care.

That's what you say when you're full of it and don't care.

The Real Apology

Fried: When you just say simply — I'm sorry, here's what happened, here's how we're going to fix it, here's why it won't happen again — you're going to end up with a much more trusting customer base.

People are very, very forgiving when you do it like that.

I'm sorry, here's what happened, here's how we fix it. People are very forgiving when you do it like that.

The Best Measure of a Good Business

Fried: Jeffrey from Threadless said — one of the great measures of figuring out if you're actually a good business is if your customers trust your apologies. If they believe your apologies.

If people do not believe your apologies, you've got a lot of stuff wrong. If people do believe your apologies, you've got a lot of stuff right.

If people trust your apologies, you've got a lot of stuff right. If they don't, you've got a lot wrong.

Don't Let Your Lawyers Apologize

Fried: Don't let your lawyers apologize for you. If you're a business owner, you should be doing the apologies. You should take all the responsibility. Say you're sorry. Explain what happened. Don't let it happen again.

Don't let your lawyers apologize for you. Take responsibility. Say you're sorry.