[quickthrower2]

“There was a problem loading the QR code. Show this error to a member of staff and they will let you on the train”

Would be pretty cool.

Follow up email with say $1 credit and and explanation later “our technical team is looking right now to fix the problem you had today caused by our systems” would be cool too.

I am glad I read the post to make me think more about errors.

Errors are tricky: an exception can happen in so many different ways in the app and you have to write code to convert some unexpected thing into a bold plan for the user. It is like codifying a crisis leader!

[munk-a]

It's amazing how few companies are unwilling to give away free stuff for errors while also wringing their hands about why accidental errors caused a huge negative PR event - a dollar is probably less than the cost of the CS person spending 15 minutes with the customer on the phone and yet it turns a negative experience into (for most people) a positive one. "Sure we missed our train, but we got new tickets and a bag of chips out of it" is something no one rational would say because it sounds ridiculous, but it is something most people would feel.

[quickthrower2]

This is an interesting point. It is more the gesture rather than the monetary value.

And probably because no one else is doing it. If every bad service you got for everything got a refund then it would be normal and I would think: "meh just a $1 refund again, why don't they damn fix it... shrug".

Tipping is an example where it is really appreciated in non-tipping cultures.

Which speaks to how marketing and "PR" need to keep up with culture and people's expectations today. If you want to exceed expectations that is.