I've had two customers cancel orders in process with Hancock and Moore in the past six months (one canceled today, prompting this post) because I would not guarantee something.

The first customer canceled because I would not guarantee the delivery service would not haul away his old sofa (he's in Arizona). I told him to offer the delivery people a handsome tip to haul away the sofa and they most likely would be glad to do so, but since I do not run the delivery service I cannot guarantee it. In my experience, every delivery team will take that old sofa out for a $ 100 tip, but since I was not on the truck I can't say for sure they would.

The second customer canceled today because I would not guarantee the Austin Sofa he ordered would fit through his doorway opening of 32 7/8", though I told him there was a 95% probability that it would. He wanted a 100% guarantee which I was not willing to do since I have never been to his house and see the building egress. 95% to me is pretty good, about the same odds I give myself driving home from my daily commute without having an accident or traffic violation.

I make it a policy to never guarantee things that are to occur in the future or on speculation to make a sale. Things can happen, or there can be conditions that develop which prevent something from occurring as it is supposed to. I believe that its better to maintain one's integrity than to over-reach and make a promise which might be broken.

When The White House ordered 72 pieces of Hancock and Moore from me in the Summer of 2007 they told me they had to have it GUARANTEED by a certain date (and we didn't have a lot of time). After calling both H&M and my transport company it was determined that if H&M put everyone in the plant on the order, and my transport company drove the load straight up without stopping the minute it was ready, we could make their 'drop dead' date which was on a Friday, three weeks away. The White House wanted a guarantee and I told them we had a plan, would execute it and make the date but I would not guarantee it as a matter of principle. And if I won't guarantee a $ 80,000 order from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, than I surely am not going to guarantee a particular sofa will fit in a certain doorway opening. I did get the order, and delivered it ONE DAY EARLY to the secure White House Receiving Warehouse on the Thursday before the drop dead date. There was not a single hitch the whole way and everything was landed damage-free and arrived exactly as ordered. So we actually exceeded the White House buyer's expectations when all was said and one, and they told me as such.

I think most people would rather have an honest answer but maybe I'm just too Old School....

Thoughts???