I credit Tripp Frohlichstein with this saying.  Tripp founded Media Masters and is one of the best media trainers in the business.  His little saying has proven true time and again.

Companies all make mistakes – they are run by humans.  Those who win the consumer’s respect will “fess up” when they’ve made a mistake, and then in the same sentence tell consumers about the steps they are taking to “dress up,” i.e. prevent such “mess ups” in the future.