Disappointing Experiences

Is it possible that having worked in retail for so long has caused me to expect too much from those I do business (or try to do business) with? I am constantly amazed at the lack of good service around every corner.

Taking care of my customers was always my first goal. The customer is always right (even when wrong). I suppose I may have read too many books, such as "Customers for Life" by Carl Sewell and "You WILL Be Satisfied" by Bob Tasca.

Maybe it boils down to work ethic. It is rare to find these days, a person with good work ethics. It seems most "employees" and surprising sometimes proprietors of a business are only there for the pay check. One of my favorite quotes come from a former sales rep I did business with at the bike store. He had reserved a rental car, and when he went to pick it up there were problems that the counter person either couldn't or wouldn't help resolve. The rep in question told her "I know two things...you don't like your job and I am getting tired of talking with idiots!" That about sums up my feelings with many that I come into contact with.

During a recent dining experience at Stix, a Japanese Hibachi grill, I believe I had the worst server I have ever had from a server. Julie and I both order appetizers and entrees. Julie's entree included soup and salad, and both of our entrees included our choice of steamed, brown or fried rice. I can not stand onions, so we asked if we could have the fried rice with no onions.

After finishing our appetizers, our entrees were brought to the table. the fried rice was full of onions, not to mention that it is kind of odd to receive your meal before your soup and salad. When we were finally able to flag a warm body down to inform them of the problem with the rice, we were told that the fried rice can't be ordered without onions.

To give this perspective, Stix has two separate dining rooms, the hibachi side where your food is prepared on a grill right in front of you and another room that is traditional dining. Julie and I typically have always dined on the hibachi side when we go out with friends because it is an entertaining experience as well. I know for a fact that they have rice, without onions pre-mixed, because I have watch them make it for me before my very eyes.

Our waitress finally came to the table and apologized that they "couldn't make us any rice without onions because the kitchen has already prepared all of the fried rice for the evening." So much for fresh, made to order food! She also apologized about not bringing the soup and salad and wanted to know if we would like her to box them up to take home. We declined, but asked that our bill be adjusted for the food that was not delivered as it should have been. She said that the soup and salad are part of the meal and could not be removed from the bill. Maybe she should have thought a little out of the box and removed our appetizer or drinks from the bill or at the very least offer us free desert. I, for one, did think out of the box, and deducted the soup and salad from our bill...right out of her tip!

Another issue is that our house is in need of some wood repair and a paint job. I received two estimates, and had a better feeling about the higher one, even though it was double the lower estimate. One thing, the higher guy came by reference from a good friend that had used him and was pleased with the work.

When I finally contacted the painter to get added to his schedule, he said it would be about three to four weeks before he could fit us in. That was in early October. When I hadn't heard from him by the first of November I called him to check on his schedule. He informed me that his brother had recently died, and he has gotten behind schedule because of things he had to take care of. He told me it would be a couple of weeks.

Two weeks later, I tracked him down again. He told me he was finishing up a back porch addition for a client and had one more job to do after that before getting to us. Nearly a month later I am still waiting...aren't people interested in working?