The real first post

My sense of proper behaviour dictated to me that I must to an introduction before I write my first entry. That done, here's what would've comprised your introduction to me had I not been thinking.

I've already intimated that the majority of my customers are decent types, polite and understanding of circumstances beyond the control of me or my colleagues (my colleagues and I?). Friday was a different matter.

Time of year dictates several people are off holidaying to far off places, like the Bahamas, Goa and Skegness

The Bahamas

Skegness - where would you rather be?

Which means we were busy anyway. The last thing I needed was a delightful lady in Dublin to call me, comment feistily as to the whereabouts of her order, call me back before I could get an answer from the couriers, call me back a second time to complain further then slam me on hold before I could finish the sentence I had at the time, and put her even more delightful store manager on the line to reiterate all her colleague had just ranted at me during the previous two conversations.

First. There is a general standard lead time for deliveries to ROI and this store is a regular, and knew it. Second, I hadn't called the store back because I was waiting to hear what the couriers had to say. No point me calling a customer when I have nothing to tell them, and I never said how long I'd be before I called back, because I didn't know, but I knew it'd be that day

(The second call the customer made, got through to one of my colleagues, complaining I hadn't bothered to call them back in a time which was never specified

Their third call got through to yet another collegue of mine and the sum of the conversation was me telling her what I already had - this being a Friday a proof of delivery could not be obtained until after the courier returned to their depot, which was after our offices shut, and the store shut, thus meaning details of the delivery could not be given to the store until Monday (tomorrow - and I'm so looking forward to work tomorrow).

The store manager then got on the line to complain loudly and at length about the (in her eyes, apparent) delay in delivery - the order was placed on Wednesday! Tomorrow is still within the expected lead time! Before going on to shout at me for not bothering to return the store's calls - uh, hold on one moment there, lady! I didn't call back the first time because I didn't have any information, and when I did speak to your dumbass colleague, I gave her all the information I had.

I didn't call back a second time because as far as I was concerned, case closed until Monday!

Reader, the third time I spoke to the original caller, I told her the exact same details as I had during the call before, because if I didn't, I'd either say nothing, or make up a load of lies. As a customer, which would you rather?