Love Wins

I have a project that I work on called Vacation Rentals America. It is a vacation rental listing service. It is a fun project and I don't make money on it. It was meant to be for profit but is still in incubation mode. I don't have to do much to support it and I hope that it sprouts someday.

To build the database of rentals I've given away free listings for new customers. They can use a coupon to add the property for free. Sometimes they don't add the listing and I do it for them as a service. It is no big deal.

Yesterday I added a credit for a customer who had signed up but didn't add his property. I added the credit for him so he could then add his information. The process is very easy and usually takes customers 10-20 minutes. The credit automatically notifies him that he can add his information. It's simple.

I got this email back from him.

"I have advertised my condo on many different sites. Your site has been designed by a moron. It is the most unnecessarily complicated and difficult site to create an ad. If I were you I would shut down immediately for you have no chance of making a success. Also shoot your web site designer. Remove me from your mailing list, etc."

Honestly my first reaction was surprise. I have received numerous emails from customers telling me they love the site, the process is easy, and the graphics are great. I thought about sending him a nasty letter, but then it hit me. This guy is hurting. He's probably having a bad day and my auto-email caught him at his worst moment. He tried to get on my site, didn 't understand something and then got frustrated. I sent him back this email.

"(Name Withheld), You must have had a bad day to write something like this. Hope it gets better for you. We've deleted your account. Best wishes. Jonathan"

I didn't expect to hear from him again. But then I got this reply from him today.

"My day has been fine. The truth hurts,eh?"

I was quietly stunned. I realized that to send the first email, he had to spend the time to say what he did. I replied back to him letting him know that we had fulfilled his request. That should have been the end of it. But then he came back at me a second time, with as much spite as the first. I just couldn't help feeling sorry for this guy. To expend that kind of negative energy a person really has to be lost.

I thought about my response all day. I thought about sending him some awful response telling him to "get lost" but not in such kind words. But then I realized that Love Wins. It really does. He just didn't get the memo. And if I really believed that I would respond with my own medicine, which was love.

I finally sent him back a response. It said very simply, "Love Wins."

I hope he stops and really reads it. I also hope I can keep saying it. Because I believe it.

Do you?