Was this intended to be a positive anecdote? It doesn’t sound like one - how is removing a feature users care about and refusing to add it back any evidence of “utmost respect for the user”?
I read this as a positive. Practicing what you preach. Rich asked for a further introduction into the needs behind the users request. The user decided not to pursue that further. Perhaps the feature could have been re-introduced if the client had a very clear user story. We won't know. Is it fair to ask users for stories when you introduce UI/UX regressions. That's debatable. But Rick showed real interest consistent with expectations.
