You're Kidding Right?

Uncategorized Nov 03, 2025

🤯 You’re Kidding, Right?

How Customer Service Gets Buried Under Policies & Procedures

Maybe this isn’t news to you.
Maybe it’s happened so often you’ve stopped caring — like political noise that just blends into the background.

But as someone who trains people on customer service, this kind of thing still blows my mind.

And yeah... it makes me MAD. 😤

📱 The Virgin Experience (Again)

My wife and I both had our cell accounts with Virgin.

I’ve had issues before — so bad that I once wrote Richard Branson a personal message on LinkedIn to tell him that his values didn’t seem to be playing out in real life.

He never responded.
(Shocker, right?)

Fast forward to now.

My wife’s phone cover broke, so we went to a Virgin kiosk to replace it. Simple fix... or so we thought.

🧱 The Wall of Policy

Apparently, Virgin has deleted all customer records to “protect our privacy.”

So, they know we’re customers — but that’s it. No receipts, no records, no help.

We explained that the cover was new and likely under warranty. The clerk said:

“I’m sorry, the only thing you can do is buy a new one.”

Even though neither of us had proof of purchase — neither did they!

How much is it?
“$40.”

You’re kidding, right?
“No, sir.”

🤦‍♂️

The clerk wasn’t rude. She just had no authority to make a decision.

That’s what happens when organizations train employees to follow procedures instead of principles.

💡 Policies Don’t Build Loyalty — People Do

Here’s what Virgin’s purpose says:

“...drives decisions and fuels success resulting in positive impacts on customers, people, communities and the environment...”

Sounds great on paper.

But if your people can’t live those words in real life, they’re just marketing fluff.

This wasn’t about $40.
It was about trust, empowerment, and doing the right thing.

🚀 Then Came “Go Mobile”

As we walked away, the Virgin clerk suggested we check out the Mobile store around the corner.

So, we did.

Twenty minutes later, we walked out with:

✅ A full explanation for why the glass broke.
✅ A brand-new replacement for $10.
✅ A promise that if it happened again, they’d fix it.

That, my friends, is customer service. 🙌

I told the manager he’d just earned two new customers.

And when we walked by the Virgin kiosk again, we thanked the clerk for the referral.

🔍 The Real Question

What’s happening in your organization?

Do your people have the authority to make decisions?
Do your policies align with your values?
Are you more focused on procedures than on people?

Because every time someone says,

“Sorry, that’s our policy,”

you’re building a wall between you and your customer.

And someone like Go Mobile is standing right behind it — ready to win them over. 💥

💥 The Choice Is Yours

Empower your people.
Trust their judgment.
And make sure your values actually mean something.

Because great customer service shouldn’t be buried under a pile of policies.

It should be alive, human, and real.

Go Mobile. 🚀