Credits and Adjustments, part 2
Also, as pointed out on most rate cards, in the case of really big mistakes, you and your newspaper are not responsible for any lost sales resulting from an error. So if an ad gets left out of the newspaper and a huge sale doesn't get advertised, that doesn't mean you have to make up the account's lost sales. In fact, you can't even really give a refund or even a rerun, since no ad ever really ran.

I once worked for an newspaper who years earlier had left out a zero on a price for an oriental rug ad, turning a $2000 price into a $200 price. Back when this happened, the advertiser had to honor the published price and a representative from the newspaper had to stand in the store and pay the difference for every carpet sold. Things have changed now, and in this situation, after arranging for some sort of adjustment on the ad, you or your manager would simply write a letter to the advertiser acknowledging the newspaper's error, stating the correct price, and apologizing for any inconvenience. Then the advertiser could show the letter to his customers and that would be the end of it.

Now that we've talked about the circumstances when a credit might be called for, let's talk about the few things processing a credit involves. Here are the steps involved. In many instances, you'll be able to predict where an advertiser might want a credit. When your newspaper comes out each day or week, depending on how often it's published, find your ads and make sure everything looks right. If you're the one that processed the ad in the first place, you should know pretty quickly if the ad is wrong.

If something is wrong and it's the newspaper's fault, the first rule is, call the advertiser so they know there's an error. Sure, it won't be your favorite call of the day, but keep in mind: there's nothing worse than getting a call from an angry advertiser. Call them before they even know there's a problem, apologize and present them with a solution. Most likely they'll stay calm. Most advertisers understand the problems involved with getting a newspaper out completely error-free and appreciate an ad rep calling them before they see it themselves, as long as there's a solution you can offer that they're happy with.

And although this is changing, at most newspapers the only person who can decide if and how much of an adjustment is necessary is an ad manager. Explain to your manager exactly what happened and any other issues that might need to be taken into consideration, such as any previous errors the newspaper has made with the same advertiser. If you can, see if you can get your hands on the original layout sheet to see where the mistake was make, but regardless, see if your manager can approve a course of action to take, such as a free rerun, or a discount on the advertiser's next ad. If you can talk to your manager before you call the account, then you can provide him not only with an apology, but the solution. If you can't talk to your manager immediately, don't hold off contacting the advertiser! Call the advertiser, explain the situation, and assure him that you'll call back later with a way to make it up to him that everyone will be happy with.