It's cheaper to keep an existing customer than to win a new one. Satisfied customers are more loyal customers. And it's easier than ever to spread the word about a poor customer experience. SearchCRM offers this article with stats on the value of customer service.

In Where’s My Laptop?, Dee Chisamera reports:

How much is a laptop worth these days? Well, according to a lawsuit against a local Best Buy local store in D.C. area, $54 million! Raelyn Campbell is an unsatisfied customer, who took her broken laptop to the “Geek Squad” at Best Buy, together with a warranty, due to hardware malfunctions, and never saw it again.

Chisamera continues,

Why $54 million? Raelyn Campbell, 37, said she is perfectly aware of the ridiculous amount, but if this is the only way to draw attention to the consumer property and privacy rules of Best Buy, so be it, and at the same time, because $54 billion is lost every year because of identity theft.

As they say: satisfied customers tell a few friends; dissatisfied customers tell everybody.