Question

Customer: "When I called about the cost of these items, it was implied that my total would only be $35.00."

a. Yes, I realize it was guaranteed that your total would be $35.00.
b. Yes, I realize it was clearly stated that your total would be $35.00.
c. Yes, I realize it was suggested to you that your total would be $35.00.
d. Yes, I realize that you asked for your total to be $35.00.
e. Yes, I realize that it was impossible for your total to be $35.00.

Answer 1

The correct response is c, acknowledging that it was suggested to the customer their bill would be $35.00, without an explicit guarantee. This situation highlights the importance of clear communication regarding costs, including fixed and variable components in billing.

Step-by-step explanation:

The conversation suggests a discrepancy between the customer's expectation of the bill total and the actual total charged. When the customer was given information over the phone, it appears they were led to believe their total would be $35.00. In such a case, we would select option c. 'Yes, I realize it was suggested to you that your total would be $35.00.' This suggests the customer was not explicitly guaranteed that price, but rather it was an implication of the cost communicated to them at the time.

In real-life scenarios like this, a business might encounter misunderstanding when pricing items or services, which can be due to a miscommunication of costs, potential additional fees, taxes, or a misinterpretation by the customer. To provide an example within this context, consider a scenario where there is a fixed cost, such as a service fee of $31.50, and then an additional variable cost that depends on hours worked, represented by 32x where x is the number of hours. The total cost would then be calculated as the fixed cost plus the variable cost of hours worked (y = 31.50 + 32x). It's crucial for both parties to have a clear understanding of how the total cost is derived to avoid such misunderstandings.