"all you get for your efforts are customers which do not tolerate the occasional freak event" <- spot on. Said another way: companies' customers are a reflecti

"all you get for your efforts are customers which do not tolerate the occasional freak event" <- spot on. Said another way: companies' customers are a reflection how the company behaves. If you want customers who are a pain to deal with, who threaten to switch at any unmet whim, and who will step all over you as a vendor, then by all means go ahead and step all over your competition to get those customers. A company that acts like a jerk is going to have customers who are jerks and who wants to deal with that. But if you want customers that are fans and proponents and evangelists for your company - then act in those positive ways yourself.