Customer Service is an Art

It’s an art that doesn’t pay that much hence the artists are often not of Rembrandt calibre.

This past Friday, I thought hmmm, let’s stop into xyz hotel and get a glass of wine and maybe dinner after work. Great, the lounge menu at reception mentioned a special on the house red at $5.50 and I thought….that would work.  We’ll stop in and see what’s also on the menu.

There’s like three parties in the whole place of which I am one.  Couple of gents sit down at the next table over and one seems to have a cold.  I’m none too impressed having just got over one.

Linguini was average at best.  Guy next table over isn’t exactly protecting others from his germs.  I figure – okay I’m outta here.  One server has three whole tables to work but I find myself standing for an inordinate amount of time at the till waiting for him to show up.  I figure okay…..he has other tasks on a slow Friday night.  Upon tracking him down out in the restaurant area he comes over and rings up the bill.  He tells me the tab and I ask, “are you sure that’s correct.”  He says yes.  $9 for the wine and $16 for the linguini.  Oh. So you are certain you are correct.  He says yes again.  I say – hmm.  I thought I read $5.50 for the wine on the advertisement at the entrance.  Then he walks over to check it and comes back and exclaims, “oh you are right – I never work Friday nights”.  I can’t even describe the tone in his voice the first time he exclaimed he was right.

I know…you can’t count how many times this has happened to you.