Admitting mistakes

My web host recently moved its clients on to a new system. They tested all they could, but still ran into problems. I had next to no problems, but others weren’t so lucky. Rather than hiding or blaming others, Westhost explained what happened, which made it obvious that they had done all that they could to avoid problems. They also accepted responsibility. Here’s a sample of their communication:

There are many things we could have done differently with this upgrade.  We’ve made mistakes along the way and sincerely apologize for those that have been affected.  We genuinely value each of our clients and want you to be happy with your decision to stay with WestHost.  We are making every effort to return to our normal high standards of service and support, and are committed to putting in place the resources, tools and services to ensure the same level of reliability you have come to expect from WestHost.  Please accept our apologies and enjoy the increased disk space we will be adding to your account.

I can’t tell you how rare it is for a company to (a) set such high standards for customer service; (b) admit when they’re wrong; and (c) actually sound believable when they apologize. Their reaction to a crisis tells you more than almost anything else. If you’re looking for a good web host, there’s always Prairie Fusion. But if you don’t go with them, I can’t say enough good things about WestHost.