When we face a problem, we often have a certain expectation of how it will be resolved. Sometimes, our expectation is based on the gravity of the problem, the person involved, or our previous experiences. However, sometimes, our expectations can be challenged by a different approach that surprises us and changes our perspective. This is what happened to me when I had a car problem that turned out to be a lesson in empathy.
I own a Honda Accord 09 model, which had shown signs of a gearbox issue. I took it to two different mechanics who did temporary fixes but didn’t resolve the problem. The car got worse over time until it was unable to change gear from 1 to 2, hence unable to accelerate. At this point, I finally took it to a registered Honda Service Center.
At the service center, they invoiced me for a full scan of the car and I had to pay before they started looking into the car. After the scan, they wrote an invoice of all the components of the car that needed to be changed and all amounted to 1.4 million naira. This scared me, but after weighing all the alternatives, I decided to proceed with the repair.
Their policy was that 80% of the money must be paid upfront while the balance 20% would be paid when the car was ready. 80% amounted to 1.12 million naira. So I paid and was told the car would be ready in three weeks.
Three weeks later, I was called that the car was ready for pickup. I showed up to test drive the car, and during the test drive, the car was fine. Then I proceeded to make the balance payment. On my way home from the service center, the car broke down and the gearbox problem resurfaced. I had to tow the car back to the service center.
This was a big problem for me, as I had paid a huge amount of money to repair a car and the car was still faulty. I was the person who was going to suffer the consequence of this problem if it was not resolved. What the owner of the service center didn’t know was that I was married to a paramilitary officer with ties to the Nigeria Military. This was important in this context because it implied I had the influence to make things very difficult for the owner of the service center if they didn’t resolve the problem properly.
My expectation was that this would get ugly and it would result in a battle where I would have to use my influence to force the service center to refund my money. This expectation was based on my previous experiences with mechanics who didn’t solve a problem, got paid, but refused to refund the money.
To my utmost surprise, the owner of the service center was very empathetic and apologized genuinely for the inconvenience. He was calm and accepted full responsibility for the situation. This totally disarmed me. He didn’t know who I really was, but his approach was based solely on the impact of the problem. He gave me a timeline for resolving the problem and pleaded with me to allow them to right the wrong. I didn’t have to project the use of force to get him to do the right thing, he just did.
My Takeaway: The problem above had the potential to escalate, but this was averted by the approach of the owner of the service center. His empathy and accountability made me feel respected and valued as a customer. His willingness to fix the mistake made me trust him and give him another chance. His communication and sincerity made me appreciate him and his service. I learned that our approach to problems can greatly influence the outcome and the relationship with the other party. Sometimes, the best approach is not the one we expect, but the one that surprises us with empathy.
MBA Taught Me to ‘Think’