Customer relations eludes some people
I STRONGLY believe in supporting local businesses, even if it sometimes means paying a little more. It’s worth it to have goods and services available close to home, particularly with the high cost of petrol.
Nobody likes to travel far if they can avoid it. The main reason I bought my Chev bakkie was because the agents were right here in Fish Hoek and I could drop the vehicle off for a service and stroll back home in 15 minutes to wait for the work to be done.
When I bought it, the salesman spent ages telling me about the incredibly caring team of mechanics who would rush to my aid if anything went wrong. I fell for it. The ink had hardly dried on the receipt when the agency closed their doors and moved away, leaving me with nothing more than a piece of paper thanking me for “investing in the Chevrolet brand”; and assuring me they’d continue to care for me and my bakkie. Ha! To rub salt into the wound they recently sent me a list of all the places I could take my vehicle when it’s due for its next service. It reads like a directory of South Africa. I can drop into Polokwane for an oil change, or check my wheel alignment in Edenvale, Randburg, Welkom, Centurion or even Klerksdorp. The closest place on the list to Fish Hoek seems to be Somerset West.
I had actually discovered a freelance mechanic here in Fish Hoek and arranged for him to look after my vehicle. I was just starting to feel happy again with my bakkie and had almost forgiven the agents who had abandoned me so rudely, when the offensive letter arrived.
Now I am cross all over again. Some people obviously have no idea about customer relations. I feel a similar rise of anger when I receive an annual notification from a certain bank, addressed to my late wife and asking her if her financial affairs have changed in the last year.
She died almost 20 years ago. The irony is that the letter is from the same bank that acted as the executors of her estate, so they can’t claim not to know about her death. Maybe customer relations could be improved among certain banks too.
Last Laugh
Two men were bragging about their successful offspring. “My son has done amazingly well,” said one. “He started his own business on a shoestring just two years ago and already he has tripled his original investment.” Then there was a lull in the conversation and the man sighed, took a sip of his drink and said: “Anybody interesting in buying three shoelaces?”