I am writing with regard to an unpleasant discovery I made after returning from shopping at Waitrose last night. Namely - I had lost my wallet for the first time in my life. Panic stations set in.
As my wife phoned Waitrose, I sped back to the store which had just closed. I searched the car park and trolley area to no avail and then a night worker at the staff door said he would ask inside the shop about the wallet. Two female workers came out to speak to me saying they had had a good look round but hadn't found it.
I went back home most anxious about the whereabouts of the wallet and associated inconvenience. Half an hour later, my wife's mobile phone rang. It was your night shift manager - Andy Beaver. He had found the wallet and if I returned to the shop he would hand it over. Apparently, he had spotted it on a side bench near the checkout area.
When I got back to the store, I attempted to give Andy a £10 note as a reward but he would not take it in spite of my insistence. I told him that I would be writing to you to sing his praises and to thank him for his honesty, kindness and prompt customer service.
Sometimes people might imagine that the world is filled with dishonest, self-seeking folk but it isn't. Most people are like Andy Beaver - decent, hard-working, kind and very willing to help others. Please pass on my sincere thanks to him.
Yours sincerely,
Yorkshire Pudding (Esquire)
__________________________________________________
Hi Mr Pudding,
I just wanted to let you know that I have passed on these comments to Andy, his line manager and our branch manager.
Thank you again for your kind words, Andy was very touched.
Have a wonderful Christmas.
I just wanted to let you know that I have passed on these comments to Andy, his line manager and our branch manager.
Thank you again for your kind words, Andy was very touched.
Have a wonderful Christmas.
Warm Regards,
Charlotte Sidebottom
(Deputy Branch Manager)
Giving the positive feedback to Andy's boss was the best thing you could have done for him and I am so glad she also passed your comments on.
ReplyDeleteMost people are good, we just need to be awake to it
We are encouraged and expected to be suspicious of others but most of our fellow human beings are just like us.
DeleteThat's a great thing to do--writing to Andy's boss. I can tell you from my many years of working in retail that very, very few people take the time to praise employees no matter how exceptional the service. But complaints--that's a different story! People love to focus on negatives. A word of praise means a lot.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kylie. Most people are good if we're willing to take the time to see it!
I am pretty good at complaining but I also like to think that I give credit where credit is due. It should be a balance.
DeleteA few written words of praise, worth more than any financial reward.
ReplyDeleteWe should all remember to dish out praise when it is deserved.
DeleteLike the others here have said, it is so good if we take the time to tell others (or write to them) about the good experiences we have made at their shop, office or restaurant, not just the bad.
ReplyDeleteYears ago, someone came up with the statistics (not sure how true it is) that when they experience good service, people on average tell three others about it, whereas they tell 11 others about the bad situations.
Everybody wants to feel appreciated but so often clients or customers forget to dish out praise or gratitude.
DeleteYour letter to the Deputy Branch Manager was indeed a good deed and I'm sure it meant a lot to both her and Andy to hear from another human being, one who transcends the status of mere satisfied customer.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are right Vivian. Making complaints can seem easier than giving praise so I expect that my message was rather out of the ordinary.
DeleteVery much the same thing happened to my friend yesterday, who had to cancel our plans because she'd been pickpocketted.
ReplyDeleteStill, she called the restaurant she'd been at the night before and amazingly, one of the staff had found her wallet on the counter. She did manage to reward the person with $20, but it was almost a wrestling match to the finish until they took it.
Heartwarming stories - especially this time of year.
I don't fully understand Marty. Was your friend pickpocketted or did she just mislay her wallet in the restaurant?
DeleteSimple absent mindedness was to blame.
Delete'Tis the correct thing to do, I believe, to give thanks where and when thanks is deserved and due. I'm sure Andy will be grateful for your appreciation. Good manners and respect never go astray.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about Ms Sidebottom, though. She must find it awkward sitting down! ;)
In the north of England many people have surnames that end with -bottom. For example Ramsbottom, Winterbottom, Tarbottom, Higginbottom. But as far as I know nobody is called Smellybottom, Fatbottom or Hairybottom. I guess they were all exiled to Australia in the nineteenth century.
DeleteI guess they may have been, Yorkie. We, like everywhere else throughout the world, have more than our share of arse-holes.
DeleteHa-Ha-Ha! Nice one Lee!
DeleteI left my handbag on the bus recently and it was handed in with all contents. The bus garage man even said if I did not get it back they would make sure I got home safely. I write and thanked them. Hazel c uk
ReplyDeleteDid you have some hazelnuts in your bag Hazel? Thanks for calling by and leaving this comment.
DeleteI left my handbag on the bus recently and it was handed in with all contents. The bus garage man even said if I did not get it back they would make sure I got home safely. I write and thanked them. Hazel c uk
ReplyDeleteI really like you post good blog,Thanks for your sharing.
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