Customer Service

A little change up today, I dont want to get too serious about life. I've always said I never want to grow up. Awhile back my family and I were eating in an Olive Garden in or around Provo UT and the steak I ordered was so bad it rolled when you tried cutting it. I mean I'd put the fork in to hold it and try running the knife through and the meat would roll.

We had a guy waiter who was smiley, lots of energy and was bouncing all over the place. He came by and asked if everything was alright? I said, "Well my steak is so bad it rolls over rather than cuts". Without missing a beat and with the smile of Miss America he said, He said, "Sir, how bout I get you a sharper knife".

Now contrast that with a little Italian restaurant in Layton, UT called Ligori's. When we were chilling during my recent 'summer of inconvenience' we tried this place as a change up to the chains in the area. It is locally owned and operated and the service and food is outstanding. We didnt know anyone but each time we'd stop in, they would recognize us, offered us a 10% discount for coming back often and every waiter they had went out of their way.

And lastly, my youngest daughter just left for Costa Rica to work on a pineapple operation there in the jungle for nine months with her fiance. They researched this thing, talked to the Embassy and government there and here, got all their papers, their shots and of course their airline tickets. Got a decent price too. Coming back in 9 months.

They get to the airport in Salt Lake and no problem they fly to Phoenix for their plane out. Now keep in mind they are flying US Air. (Back in my Frito days when I lived back east and had to use them we called them US Scare) So the kids go to check in down in Phoenix and the US Air rep says there is a problem. You have a plane ticket coming back in 9 months and a visa for 3 months.

So they explain (along with three others in the same boat) that the State Department told them and the Costa Rican authorities that all they had to do was leave for three days and come back and they would renew it, so, no biggie. Not so fast travelers. They tell them no, that doesnt fly you MUST have a ticket back corresponding to your visa.

So my daughter explains that we talked to the State Department, Homeland Security and the Costa Rican authorities and this did not come up. The US Air rep proudly says, "That is because this is our policy". So there choices were to produce a bus ticket from inside Costa Rica out, or buy a plane ticket (short notice) one way returning before the expiration of their visa.

They tried the Internet and couldnt buy bus tickets in Costa Rica without cash so these two very nice young people got screwed and had to put $1,000 plane tickets, each, on thier Visa cards before their flight to Charlotte, Charlotte because they had now missed their flight to San Jose. They were assured they MUST have these new tickets to SHOW US Air in Charlotte or they wont get on the plane from their to San Jose. They flew all night from Phoenix to Charlotte and boarded their plane for San Jose, Costa Rica ... and werent even asked to produce the ticket they were forced to buy.

Of course the ticket agent who scammed them in Phoenix assured them they were refundable tickets ... and if you believe that I''ll revive that old scheme of the Teamsters Union and I have some land on special, down in Florida, can't go wrong.

Service ... a lost art.