Another on my NO CALL and DO NOT REFER lists

What is so wrong with businesses these days? You give a young man an opportunity for a new customer and customer referrals and he blows it. The son of an owner of a janitorial service supposedly had his own carpet cleaning service. Over a larger franchise businesses, we tried to support this young man.
The first appointment was set for 9 AM yesterday. In preparation, I spent Friday night and EARLY Saturday morning in preparations. It had been a long stressful week and interrupting my Sci Fi Friday night routine and an early morning rise was not on the top of my list of weekend activities.
Fifteen minutes prior to appointment time, he called claiming his father lent out the cleaning machine without his prior knowledge. His father had not known he had a cleaning job scheduled.
He asked to reschedule until 4 pm today. I had no issues since it would give me an opportunity to give the house a thorough cleaning. So Saturday was spent polishing, dusting, and vacuuming.

Approaching 4pm, we made final preparations by moving any furnishing that could be moved. At 3:56, he called. Said he JUST got off from work and noticed it was raining and the appointment would have to be postponed again. he was claiming the carpets would not dry until morning. I was so tired and undone, I could not even talk to him. I gave my phone to Hubby. Basically Hubby told him his services will no longer be needed, forever. Now there we were, rooms emptied where carpets needed to be cleaned.
There was no way we could leave everything in its current location until next week or whenever we could schedule another service. This left one option, do it myself. I have my own cleaner for general cleaning, but I had wanted a professional cleaning this one time. So I began, able to complete three rooms before the solution was fully dispensed.
I'll complete the rest sometime this week, maybe one room a night after work. Having a normal full week, I am not looking forward to this but it must be done.

Of course I will not refrain from trying new small businesses. I can not allow disappointment from one to affect another that may provide excellent service. It was so frustrating that this weekend did not go as planned.

my first, First Friday

In promotion of downtown Macon, every first Friday of the month, one can stroll the streets visiting many forms of music, art, and entertainment. A family friend, owner of Patcessories and Personables, a clothing and home accessories store, promotes a variety of entertainment each month. She also provides refreshments to those who stop by. Not only does she promotes her store but allows promotions of others.

This past Friday, the owner and two students from the Hayiya Dance Theatre performed West African dance on the CONCRETE sidewalk just outside of my friend's shop. The young lady is in the 8th grade and has been at the studio for at least 3 years and the young man is in the 9th grade. I am not sure how long he has been at the studio. The owner and instructor is in the background.

Next month, I plan to visit the multi-floor art gallery nearby. It is amazing what you do AFTER you move away from a city.

my declaration of independence

Today, July 4, 2008, I declare my independence from the restrictions of my mind.
I no longer concede to the fear of owning a business again. I have been blessed with bountiful resources to guide me along the way.
I no longer consider myself just a writer, I am an exceptional writer; I have the potential to be more as I yearn to learn more.
I no longer concede to the excuses of being a healthier person. I have the ability to control my eating habits and not binge during stressful moments. I have the equipment to development an exercise routine and the determination to follow it.
I will no longer accept limitations placed upon me by society. The opposition of my race, gender, economic status, or faith will not deter me. My eyes have been opened, my ears unplugged, and mouth un-gagged.

I am Sista GP. This is my Independence Day.

customer no service

Working in service for several years has its advantages and its disadvantages. From cashier, cook, and shift supervisor at Krystal’s, to staff/tutor at college computer labs, and to application development consulting for 16 years, I have had my fair share of providing service to customers and clients. With this experience I can provide support in a manner that is profitable for business. This is an advantage, giving treatment like I want to be treated.
The disadvantage is I EXPECT the same treatment in return when I am the consumer. The level of service is so important that I would pay a higher expense knowing better service would be given.
An incident occurred a few weeks ago and it probably would not have bothered me so, but my mother was involved and my “lioness-cub” protective instinct kicked in.
Having a flat tire, my mother took her vehicle to our area S**rs Automotive Center before 3 PM one afternoon. Her paperwork promised the repairs to be done within an hour. She called me and I arrived at the location a little after 4 PM. Her car was in one of the stalls with the trunk open. Since it seemed repairs were started, we left to run some errands. Returning approximately 45 minutes later, her car was still in the same position with the trunk open. Leaving her in my car with AC running of course, I went into the counter service area to inquire the status of the work.
After standing in line for several minutes too long, the staff told me that they could not repair the tire and it had to be replaced. They had her home number as the contact so they could not call her. I returned to my mom and relayed the message, but then it occurred to me. My mom had been waiting over an hour in their waiting room, exceeding the promised completion time before we even left. This is where the “lioness-cub” attitude developed.

In an attempt to shorten this fiasco, I will try to simplify.
1. Knowing my mom purchased some tires from them about a year ago. I inquired if the damaged tire was under warranty. This guy claimed (almost argued) that they did not sell the two brands of tires she had on her car. I had to basically hand hold this guy through their own system to prove my mom had purchased 3 tires from them about a year ago, they just did not sell them now. (Unfortunately the non-replaced tire is the one that had the damage.)
2. I had gotten him to admit that even though the paperwork said that my mom was a WAITING customer, there was no attempt to inform her that they could not repair the tire. He knew long before I came to pick her up. He claimed that he was busy at the time and never checked to see if she was a waiting customer.
3. We decided to purchase a new tire. He completed the sales order. I then politely informed him that she deserved compensation for her inconvenience. This guy looked at me like I was from another planet. He claimed that he needed the manager’s approval for that action and the manager was not there. Since he made no action to call the manager, I requested the phone number and I called him myself. After informed the manager of the situation, he tried to weasel out claiming that the store was just busy and there were several customers before her. I bluntly explained that her car was already in a bay when we left.

So after three-hour episode, my mother was given a 10% discount and put on top priority status and given a 30-minute completion time. We left for dinner; they were working on her car before we drove away.

Now, why was that necessary? Why did I have to increase my blood pressure, get another patch of gray hair, and waste an entire afternoon over a tire.