Want to tell you a tale of somebody doing the right thing and an interesting example of conversational marketing.

I’d registered for Gnomedex in Seattle and there had been an error on my part. My trip to London ended up at the end of June now overlapping the Gnomedex dates, and I informed Chris and Ponzi by email — 12 hours after registering and paying by credit card — that it turned out I couldn’t attend.

Apparently there was a non-prominent "no refund" clause on their registration page (still don’t know where) and they informed me by email that, unfortunately, they couldn’t refund my dough though they’d try to "fill my spot". Dismayed since I’ve been on my own since December and the $499 — while certainly not a big deal it nonetheless could be put to better use — I protested. We went back-n-forth by email several times. They saying we’ll try, but no…me pointing out the unreasonableness of it all and pleading my case.

This team is running something akin to an unconference and needs the dough for initial expenses and setup. There has been (and is now) a no refund policy. The stand up thing they did? Chris gave me the benefit of the doubt and, after further analysis of his own event site, concurred the no refund policy was non-prominent and agreed to the refund (and no, don’t try registering and backing out since the site now prominently displays: TICKETS CANNOT BE REFUNDED, ONLY TRANSFERRED).

This impressed me. Yes they put on a good event which is worthwhile in-and-of-itself, but the way this situation ended up demonstrates to me their integrity and values. It further proves to me why these two deserve our support, conference attendance, and my best wishes that they enjoy continued growth and success in their endeavors. I plan on attending next year (provided I’m in the country) and will certainly be following the blogosphere during the event.

Photo credit, Lockergnome