“Why Bending the Rules", Might Be the Smartest Policy You’ll Ever Make
Oct 03, 2025
Written By Bart Berkey | Most People Don't
Ever felt like you were being bounced around and pushed back and forth after you made a purhase,then decided to return, for a valid reason?
Did a "Corporate Policy" overshadow human empathy and reasoning.
I'm referring to a pretty simple return.
Can you or your team agree to make exceptions in order to make an exceptional experience for others.
"70% of consumers willabandon a brand after just two negative experiences, and nearly 25% will leave after only one. (Emplifi, 2025)"
I recently experienced an uncomfortable situation and confusion.
A member of my family recently asked for an exception to a return policy with a validated reason, and was told "Yes, we should be able to do tht consiering your circumstances."
Step 1 was initiated, a call to Customer Care to explain the situation to the brand's representative 1st, to see what options were possible.
The Customer Care Representative said, "we should be able to make an exception, based on your situation, "just talk to the Store Manager."
The chaos began from there....
Following the Customer Care Representative's solution, the next step was followed, "Go to the store where the item was purchased."
The directions were followed as suggested, but the Store Manager suggested something entirely different than the easy sounding path that the Corporate Customer Care Representative offered as their solution.
The Store Manager suggested a solution that was opposite of what the Customer Care Representative said.
Instead of being an easy fix, it began to be complicated.
The Manager said, "We Can't do that, take this other path."
The path was a dead end.
Step 2 Call Customer Care again, they said....
The store should be able to resolve this, I'm not sure why they are insisting you take another path. Go back to the store and speak with the Store Manager and let them know what we said.
This went on a few times, going to the store and speaking with the Store Manager, then leaving with no resolve and calling Customer Care,
Setting Realistic Customer Expectations is very important, can we all agree?
In this case, each gave a different answer, neither took ownership, and in the end the policy won: kindness lost and the brand’s loyal customer is now very frustrated and no longer loyal.
But here's what I know: This was a missed moment.
A chance for a brand to say, "We see you. We care. Let's solve this together."
We will “Do What We Said We’re Able To Do”,
We apologize for the confusion and time you spent trying to resolve the issue.
If neither said the return was possible, there would be no issue or loss of brand loyalty.
Policies are written for a reason, of course they should be adhered to.
But once in a while, you may encounter a valid reason to bend the rules.
Remember, it’s how you make a client feel that creates brand loyalty.
If it was “not possible” to make this exception, no problem.
But that was not what Customer Care said.
Customer Said it was possible, and the customer expectation was set from that statement.
Here is an example from an article by Gary Leff on ViewFromTheWing.com. (September, 2025)
British Airways changed its elite program, making it harder for loyal flyers to retain their status. As a “bend the rules” strategy, Air France KLM responded by offering instant status matches to those customers. Of the 4,000 top flyers who switched, 95% received
Flying Blue Gold status or higher, and by the end of August, these customers had booked 17,500 flights with Air France KLM, 60% of those bookings were in premium cabins.
This shows that when a company is willing to accommodate and “bend the rules” for new valuable clients, they don’t just win a booking—they build profitable, long-term loyalty.
Here are the statistics cited:
- 95% of those who switched got Flying Blue Gold status or higher.
- By August, these customers booked 17,500 flights (60% of bookings in premium cabins).
- The seamless status match offer is highlighted as a key driver of loyalty and revenue.
Instead of technicalities, imagine if someone just stepped up and made it right.
Over-delivered. Connected on a human level.
Most People Don't go the extra mile, or thing of the long-term advantage.
Most People stick to scripts or default to "policy."
But when you empower your people to be kind over being "right," exceptions become opportunities: and that’s how you create lifelong loyalty.
Let’s remember: every policy was written for a reason, but every customer deserves a little grace and a lot of clarity. That's how you build trust, one experience at a time.
Have you had a moment where kindness made all the difference? I’d love to hear your story below.
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