The $25 Tyre Refund: The Economics of Saying Yes

In 1979, a man walked into a department store in Fairbanks, Alaska, rolling a pair of used car tyres. The store sold cashmere, not carburettors. It had never stocked a single tyre in its life. And yet a sixteen-year-old sales associate gave the man a refund, and accidentally created the most famous customer service story ever told. This week, Toby tells the extraordinary true story of the Nordstrom tyre return, unpacks the principle of employee empowerment and the economics of trust, and explores what it all means for estate agents who want to build a brand people can’t stop talking about.🏆 Nominations and tickets are now available for the first-ever Personal Estate Agency Awards!Join us on 22nd October 2026 in Birmingham as we celebrate the very best personal estate agents, brokerage businesses and brokerage teams from across the UK.Nominate yourself, nominate someone else, or book your tickets here: https://www.personalestateagencyawards.co.uk/ 📚Want a free copy of the ‘Your First £100,000 Estate Agency’ book?✅ DM me the word “BOOK” on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/estateagent.consultancy/ and I’ll send it straight over.📥 Want FREE materials to help get you your next instruction? Head to: https://www.estateagentconsultancy.com/freeintro💻 Want to launch or scale your own estate agency business?Book a free discovery call here: https://theestateagentconsultancy.as.me/sixty-consultation🎓 To access to our ‘Your First £100,000 Estate Agency’ video course. Head over to: https://www.estateagentconsultancy.com/your-first-100000-digital-course📅 Want to join our next free webinar?Get added to the VIP list to find out first: https://www.estateagentconsultancy.com/webinarAny questions? Just email: [email protected] or visit us at https://www.estateagentconsultancy.com