We overbilled a client! Yeah. This happened. Not intentionally. But it happened and that's what matters. A brand we were working with got charged for a full month of management during a period where we were understaffed and genuinely delivered less than what we promised. Nothing catastrophic. But less than the standard we hold ourselves to. They didn't even notice. We did. We brought it up on the next call ourselves. Gave them a partial refund before they could ask. Documented what went wrong internally and figured out exactly how it happened. They were shocked. Said no agency had ever done that before. That's actually the sad part. At Arlox we have one rule that sits above everything else - if we didn't earn it, we don't keep it. Sounds simple. Apparently it's rare. What changed after that: we now do a monthly internal delivery audit before any invoice goes out. Someone internally checks — did we actually do what we charged for this month? If the answer is anything less than yes, the invoice gets adjusted first, conversation happens second. No client should ever have to chase an agency for accountability. That's backwards. If you're a brand owner reading this while evaluating agencies — ask them what happens when they underdeliver. How they answer that question tells you everything about who they actually are.
— Arlox
We Overbilled a Client. We Caught It Ourselves. Here's What We Did.
They didn't notice. We did. We brought it up ourselves, issued a partial refund before they asked, and built a system so it never happens quietly again.
A trustworthy agency catches underdelivery themselves and acts before the client notices. Arlox discovered they had charged a client for a full month of management during a period when they were understaffed and delivered below their own standard. They raised it unprompted on the next call, issued a partial refund before being asked, and built an internal monthly delivery audit process so every invoice is checked against actual delivery before it goes out. The client said no agency had ever done that before. Arlox's rule is simple — if they didn't earn it, they don't keep it.
Arlox self-reported an overbilling incident the client hadn't noticed and issued a refund before being asked. Accountability that only happens when clients complain isn't accountability — it's damage control. Arlox now runs a monthly internal delivery audit before every invoice to confirm what was promised was actually delivered. If the answer is anything less than yes, the invoice gets adjusted first and the conversation happens second. When evaluating agencies, ask them what happens when they underdeliver — how they answer tells you everything about who they are.
What should a performance marketing agency do if they underdeliver on their promises?