As our country tenuously began to emerge from the disastrous pandemic of 2020, I was invited to speak for a national group in June of 2021. Appropriately, I created a power point presentation of my book, “When Life Needs a Sticky Note.. words of inspiration during challenging times.”
The conference was held at a well known Atlanta-area resort, Chateau Elan, and was a great venue for the three day meeting. Although I knew that the room rate was $350/night, I didn’t expect to be charged $35/day to park my car in their expansive lot (it’s on a vineyard for heaven’s sake) or to pay a $20/day “resort fee” when I never got out of the hotel. What really irked me, however, was when I learned at check-out that I would be charged 5% for paying my bill with my American Express card. When I complained about the surcharge, I was advised that the resort was still recovering from the pandemic and they needed the cash flow.
Since that experience nearly four years ago, I have found this surcharge to become increasingly common, especially among small business owners. It’s a practice that is apparently here to stay, and I find it appalling, particularly when it’s the policy of a dental practice.
Recently, it was my privilege to participate on a panel for the Academy for Private Dental Practice. We spoke about “hot topics” in dentistry and “myth busting.” The issue of charging clients a surcharge for using a credit card came up, and the question was directed to me.
In short, I said that any dentist who charges his patients a fee for using a credit card was a poor entrepreneur who didn’t understand his or her practice and lacked enough confidence in their services to charge appropriate fees to absorb the cost of doing business. Additionally, I referred to them as fools who have a “herd mentality” rather than understanding how to set their practices apart from others by offering exceptional care, world class customer service, and building personal relationships.
The pandemic was personally and professionally devastating to hundreds of thousands of small business owners. Fortunes were lost, dreams were shattered, and many “mom and pop” shops never reopened. But, in today’s challenging business environment, giving your customers just one more reason not to “shop with you,” is, in my opinion, stupid.
Look at your numbers, and if you don’t understand them, get the help you need to properly manage your business. Trust me, adding a 5% surcharge to a $1,200 fee for a crown is not the way to do it.
“The only certain means of success is to render more and better service
than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be.”
Og Mandino
