You Break It, You Bought It

A Simple Rule About Responsibility, Recovery, and Doing the Right Thing

If you break the experience, you own the recovery.

The customer didn’t receive the value they paid for—or the value you promised—so making it right isn’t optional. It’s your responsibility.

Long before I worked in operations, transportation, or service leadership, I learned this lesson in a much simpler way.

Where I Learned It First

As a kid, I loved to touch things.

I pushed buttons indiscriminately on my grandmother’s dishwasher. I fiddled with my dad’s TV and electronics. And when we were in stores, I touched everything.

My mom would warn me,
“Don’t do that. If you knock it off, drop it, or break it, I’ll have to pay for it.”

That warning didn’t stop my curiosity. As a result, my mom had to pay for more than a few broken items over the years.

I still remember the signs posted in stores:
“You Break It, You Buy It.”
Or sometimes, “You Break It, You Fix It.”