Up until last week I had a steady relationship with my local Einstein’s deli. We were pretty tight, saw each other at least once a week and it was a fulfilling relationship. I thought was getting my needs met. But last week changed everything. It was a dreary rainy day. Parking and traffic sucked. I was chastised by the manager on duty because I didn’t give her my order properly. (Who knew that naming your bagel first and meat second was such an offense). And, when I got back to my office discovered my turkey sandwich was missing a key ingredient. Turkey.
Now I understand people make mistakes, it happens and even the best businesses fumble on occasion. For me, it’s not about the mistake; it’s about resolving the issue. So I called and they offered me another sandwich and a cookie. I drove over to get sandwich #2, only find out it was inadvertently given to another customer. *sigh* As sandwich #3 was being prepared, my hopes of a happy lunch dwindled when the stringent shift manager displayed indifference and annoyance over my situation. *grumble*
I came back to the office, went online to complain and found their website wouldn’t accept comments. *snarl* Two days later, I finally called and got a direct email to their company’s customer service department. And lo and behold, within minutes I get a sweet letter apologizing and promising me the local manager would contact me directly within 48 hours. I felt special, valued and happy…until…no one called, no one emailed. No contact, no apologies, nothing.
So today, instead of my usual weekly Einstein’s run, I chose another location and headed out to Jason’s Deli. Upon arrival, I felt courted…wooed…adored. I got a free cookie, a coupon for another free cookie, my lunch exactly as I ordered it…and a mint. Don’t know if I’ll patch it up with Einstein’s, we’ll have to see. All I can say is when you start dating around it makes it a lot harder to stay with the same old relationship, especially one that forgets the heart or ‘meat’ of the matter.