My online DVD rental service once ran into some major problems with their shipping services. As a result, the arrival of a couple of the DVDs in my queue was delayed. To compensate me for my inconvenience, the DVD rental service applied a credit to my account. Likewise, whenever my newspaper does not arrive (fortunately, which is rare), the publisher credits my account with an amount equaling the subscription price of one paper.
Now, while I’m glad these companies acknowledge my inconvenience in these situations and are willing to compensate me for it, I would rather that they do it in a different way. I trade a small amount of my money for their product. That’s what a subscription is all about. It means that I would rather have the product than the amount of money I’m willing to pay.
Therefore, when a DVD is going to be late, I’d like to have a complimentary DVD – an extra rental, over and above the number I’m normally allowed to have out at a time – for my trouble, rather than a cash credit. Accordingly, when my newspaper does not show up, for whatever reason, I want the publisher to special-deliver a replacement to my home when I report it missing, rather than crediting my account for one paper.
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