A Customer Complaint

As is obvious, we don’t post all that often, and this post is a little long, but today something very unusual happened at the Ladybug.

We had a customer come in and tell us that, for the last three years all of the Danish tapers she had bought for Christmas use had dripped. Badly. She said that the quality of the candles had deteriorated and that she might as well buy candles from the dollar store. Needless to say we were surprised.

We started to ask our standard questions: Was there a draft? Were the wicks trimmed? Irritated, she touched her silver hair and said that she knew how to burn candles. We pointed out that we have been carrying the same brand of Danish candles for most of 30 years and have rarely had negative comments. She indicated that she didn’t like what she was hearing and left in a bit of a huff. We could tell she was not happy with our response, but we felt she also didn’t want to have a discussion. We do try to validate our customers feelings, and when there is a problem we really do want to resolve it. We felt we weren’t given a chance.

The two other customers in the store were rather taken aback by the exchange. “She must have gotten out of the wrong side of bed this morning” observed one. We were quite upset ourselves. Why not just chalk up today’s encounter as an anomaly and let it pass? Well, because it’s a “teachable moment”.

First of all on customer relations: We didn’t get ahead of this customer’s concerns quickly enough. We should have guessed that, if it took her three years to mention a problem, she might have had to summon her courage to complain in the first place, and was thus likely to be defensive. A bit more attentiveness and validation might have helped.

Secondly, this is a good time to review a few things about candles. Like all products, they are not always perfect. Sometimes an individual candle may be defective. The wick might be off-center, there may be an air bubble or an inclusion in the wax or the candle might be too crooked. We look at all of the candles when we put them out, so crooked ones and obvious flaws are usually caught before sale. In this case, too, the maker has excellent quality control and all candles are inspected throughout the manufacturing process. We also test burn and use these candles regularly, we know they perform well. Most years we sell 3800 to 4000 pair of candles from this maker alone. Of 7600 to 8000 candles, some are bound to be sub-par.

More often than not, though, if there is a problem it is as a result of how or where they are being burnt. That’s what always leads us to the same questions: Was there a draft? If you see the flame wiggling back and forth, or leaning consistently to one side, the candle might well start to drip. Is the wick trimmed? First to 1/4” at the outset and then with the curl removed upon re-lighting. If you see the end of the wick sticking out of the flame, or if the flame is getting long and starting to smoke, the candle should be extinguished and the wick trimmed. Is the candle perpendicular? Sometimes a taper will appear straight from one angle but actually be leaning. Always turn the holders and make sure the candle is definitely straight. Otherwise the candle will drip in the direction of the lean.

The reason we always investigate by asking these questions is that we know that candles are a little like the computers we love to blame; usually the problem is user error. Therein lies the issue: Humans don’t make mistakes, the item or the device must be defective. The fact is, if all the candles purchased in the last three years have dripped, it is highly unlikely that all of them are defective. That would be unusually bad luck. Something else is going on. It might not be obvious or it might be so obvious it would never occur to you that that’s the problem. Our solution, had we been given a chance to offer it, is to give the customer a selection of another kind of candle. We stock another kind candle called a “rustical”. They are an injection moulded candles that are extremely regular and consistent. They are the least likely to drip of all of the candles we carry. If a customer finds them dripping, the issue pretty much must be in the how and where they are being burnt.

Finally, the last part of the how and where: Candles burn best in still air. Certain spots where we like to burn candles are not actually good places for candles. Mantles above a lit fireplace or an open flue; or the center of the dining room table with all of the steam coming off the food and the hot air of conversation; or in spots near vents of an HVAC system... these are all vulnerable locations. If you know or suspect that tapers might not do well in a spot you’d like candlelit, consider floating candles, many variations on tea lights or votives or certain kinds of pillars in myriad sizes. We want you to enjoy your candles without disappointment. Even if you’ve been burning candles for decades, we may be able to make suggestions and give some advice. Never hesitate to ask! After all, it’s what we do for a living.

Thanks for reading!

January 2020