The aggravation to all levels of staff is destructive and the loss of future revenue from skiers, their families and friends, usually outweighs the cost of the ticket.
Many refund problems can be mitigated by giving employees enough autonomy to solve them and deal with tough customers on the spot. Orientation and training of employees needs to include how to handle different refund situations and how front-line people should make refund decisions. This tends to keep small problems from growing into big ones. One caveat concerns empowering female employees with refunding authority. Sometimes there is a temptation by male supervisors to override decisions made by women. This is demeaning, creates resentment and frustration and, in the long run, can result in the loss of good women employees.
Aside from accounting, one way to get a measure of refund costs is to keep a log of complaints. Examining these shows where problems are and where changes need to be made.
With such documentation of refund situations, informal talks can be conducted with middle managers to reveal related sources of friction. This kind of communication with staff members often reveals what is really happening on the line, with ticket sellers, lift operators and rental shop workers.
Another advantage of open discussions is to be sure all members of management are on the same track. Attitudes start at the top and if key people are not supportive of refund policies, everyone’s efforts can be undermined.
One way around the refund situation is to give customers a chance to try the product and get a refund if the lift ticket is returned within a specified time. Ski Windham, N.Y., and Ski Liberty, Penn., for example, offer a snow check within the first hour, while Ski Roundtop, Penn., with a satisfaction guarantee policy, extends it for the entire day. At Sunday River, Me., the first hour of skiing each weekday is free. Last year Waterville Valley, N.H., began giving a full refund within the first hour, no questions asked, and found that few skiers actually used it.
Many other areas use this refund technique, even advertising it as company policy. They also find that skiers do not abuse it, putting to rest the biggest objection heard in the past: refunds are too costly and if you give one, everyone will line up to get them.
Whether a ski area decides to offer refunds or snow checks, a satisfaction guaranteed policy or take each refund request on a case-by-case basis, it’s essential to remember that skiing is a service industry. Customer satisfaction is the bottom line, the best advertising any ski area can do and making it part of skiing is as necessary as snow.
