Sickened due to lack of consideration, care and respect.
Today I became genuinely furious for the first time in a long time (and that fight with my dad about money earlier in the month doesn't count, though it should).
My mom's birthday was yesterday. She would have been 51.
I used to work at a flower shop, and so I have a standing order that automatically generates each January 30th and July 28th (dates of birth and death respectively).
I had a dentist appointment in my hometown, where my mom is buried. So I originally thought I would just pick up the flowers and place them on her grave today. I called the shop and told them that, probably two weeks ago. Over this past weekend, I decided I wanted them delivered on the 30th, not only because it was her birthday but another reason I won't go into here. So I called Monday morning at 10, spoke with one of the designers with whom I am not familiar. Nevertheless, I left a detailed message so they could find my mother's grave, though you can literally spit on it from the cemetery entrance. Furthermore, they've delivered there before.
So when I walk in the back door, Denny, the owner's son who is now a co-owner, says to me, "Oh, I'm sorry Sam, but I didn't get those flowers out to your mom's grave. It was late when I got out of here and I didn't get them out there."
My face just crumples and I spat, "Denny, that was SO important to me." I stared him down and then walked into the front. The designer who does know me and had done the flowers (a tiny loose bouquet of $15) immediately said, "Denny didn't get your flowers delivered yesterday. I told him he had to, but he didn't."
May I mention that Diane, Denny's mom and the owner, has been out of town for a month, but Denny running the place isn't new. He is incredibly and inconsiderately lax on customer service, despite his hospitality degree. He seems to think his charming smile and disarming manner will get him through all bumps in the road. From what I understand, numerous complaints have come in, but as a parent, I am sure Diane does not like to hear them and perhaps chalks it up to people being unused to dealing with Denny instead of her.
Anyway, I walk around the store for a moment, trying to cool off. Then I decide Denny needs to know how upset I am.
I take him back into his mom's office, and I let him have it. I was sobbing and trying to be rational, but at one point I literally could not control the volume of my voice (insert Austin Powers joke here) as I cried and tried to speak.
I said to him that I hoped they still considered me part of the family there, but that did not mean my orders could be shoved to the side and not treated like any other customer's. This is not the first time this has happened, which I forgot at the time but later remembered. I said that had it been a "regular" customer, they would have received a phone call telling them the delivery couldn't have been made. And honestly, except for it being "late" when he left, whenever that was, the cemetery is less than an eighth of a mile away. I told him all I wanted from them was flowers on my mom's grave on the day she was born and the day she died and maybe he would feel as strongly about it if it was his mom in the ground. I reminded him that yes, I had changed my mind twice, and I fully admitted that, but it wasn't like I called ten minutes before closing on Tuesday. I called at 10 am on Monday.
He said the delivery driver they had yesterday was brand new and Denny didn't feel he would be able to find the grave well enough, so Denny took it upon himself to get it out there. I told him it was why I had left specific instructions on how to reach the grave, because I certainly wasn't expecting him to deliver it by hand, because it just normally wouldn't happen that way. I told him I realized he wasn't trying to be malicious or purposely delaying the delivery, but especially in a situation like this -- when they all know the situation and provided gorgeous and memorable flowers for Mom's funeral.
There are some reasons why I don't want to call Diane on Monday and talk to her (not relating to this) but I really think I need to. I will try to be calm, and I have half a mind that she will react in the same somewhat insincere manner and apologize. I think Denny realized I was upset, clearly, but I don't think he understood the depth of it. Diane might, since her mother is also deceased.
I've likely gone overboard as I tend to do. But when you've worked somewhere since you were 16 -- practically had an extra set of moms until you were out of college -- you'd think that maybe a little more thought might go into easing the pain of one of your own. But I guess I'm just a regular customer now, despite the fact that I breeze in the back door. And if this is what the regular customers are getting passed off as customer service, the shop will soon realize when business continues to decline.
Muppet icon is a nod to Mom.
My mom's birthday was yesterday. She would have been 51.
I used to work at a flower shop, and so I have a standing order that automatically generates each January 30th and July 28th (dates of birth and death respectively).
I had a dentist appointment in my hometown, where my mom is buried. So I originally thought I would just pick up the flowers and place them on her grave today. I called the shop and told them that, probably two weeks ago. Over this past weekend, I decided I wanted them delivered on the 30th, not only because it was her birthday but another reason I won't go into here. So I called Monday morning at 10, spoke with one of the designers with whom I am not familiar. Nevertheless, I left a detailed message so they could find my mother's grave, though you can literally spit on it from the cemetery entrance. Furthermore, they've delivered there before.
So when I walk in the back door, Denny, the owner's son who is now a co-owner, says to me, "Oh, I'm sorry Sam, but I didn't get those flowers out to your mom's grave. It was late when I got out of here and I didn't get them out there."
My face just crumples and I spat, "Denny, that was SO important to me." I stared him down and then walked into the front. The designer who does know me and had done the flowers (a tiny loose bouquet of $15) immediately said, "Denny didn't get your flowers delivered yesterday. I told him he had to, but he didn't."
May I mention that Diane, Denny's mom and the owner, has been out of town for a month, but Denny running the place isn't new. He is incredibly and inconsiderately lax on customer service, despite his hospitality degree. He seems to think his charming smile and disarming manner will get him through all bumps in the road. From what I understand, numerous complaints have come in, but as a parent, I am sure Diane does not like to hear them and perhaps chalks it up to people being unused to dealing with Denny instead of her.
Anyway, I walk around the store for a moment, trying to cool off. Then I decide Denny needs to know how upset I am.
I take him back into his mom's office, and I let him have it. I was sobbing and trying to be rational, but at one point I literally could not control the volume of my voice (insert Austin Powers joke here) as I cried and tried to speak.
I said to him that I hoped they still considered me part of the family there, but that did not mean my orders could be shoved to the side and not treated like any other customer's. This is not the first time this has happened, which I forgot at the time but later remembered. I said that had it been a "regular" customer, they would have received a phone call telling them the delivery couldn't have been made. And honestly, except for it being "late" when he left, whenever that was, the cemetery is less than an eighth of a mile away. I told him all I wanted from them was flowers on my mom's grave on the day she was born and the day she died and maybe he would feel as strongly about it if it was his mom in the ground. I reminded him that yes, I had changed my mind twice, and I fully admitted that, but it wasn't like I called ten minutes before closing on Tuesday. I called at 10 am on Monday.
He said the delivery driver they had yesterday was brand new and Denny didn't feel he would be able to find the grave well enough, so Denny took it upon himself to get it out there. I told him it was why I had left specific instructions on how to reach the grave, because I certainly wasn't expecting him to deliver it by hand, because it just normally wouldn't happen that way. I told him I realized he wasn't trying to be malicious or purposely delaying the delivery, but especially in a situation like this -- when they all know the situation and provided gorgeous and memorable flowers for Mom's funeral.
There are some reasons why I don't want to call Diane on Monday and talk to her (not relating to this) but I really think I need to. I will try to be calm, and I have half a mind that she will react in the same somewhat insincere manner and apologize. I think Denny realized I was upset, clearly, but I don't think he understood the depth of it. Diane might, since her mother is also deceased.
I've likely gone overboard as I tend to do. But when you've worked somewhere since you were 16 -- practically had an extra set of moms until you were out of college -- you'd think that maybe a little more thought might go into easing the pain of one of your own. But I guess I'm just a regular customer now, despite the fact that I breeze in the back door. And if this is what the regular customers are getting passed off as customer service, the shop will soon realize when business continues to decline.
Muppet icon is a nod to Mom.