Accountability

If I haven't used this title before, I would be surprised. I'm all about holding people accountable -- myself and others. I find that often people want to be held accountable -- company managers or customer service supervisors, for example -- and are glad to find out the way(s) they may have failed to live up to expectations. Last night, after I learned I should eat a meal, I asked my son to get us some curbside pick-up at Chili's. He and his girlfriend were preparing to drive back to Orlando and had been discussing where to grab a bite. I had told them I was having a shake for dinner, so they didn't want to bring food to the house, but when I found out I would be better out having a "real meal" instead of a protein shake, we all decided to eat together.

I've used the curbside pick-up before. Normally, I prefer to go in and eat, even if I'm alone, but I'll pick up something if I'm sick or dirty (from working in my yard). Last night I didn't feel great so ordering seemed like a better idea. We ordered at 6:30, my son and his girlfriend got there at 7:00 (as directed in the order confirmation) and by 7:30 they still hadn't gotten the food. They did get it just after that, and it was cold. Also, the server had come out with the bill around 7:10, and when my son handed her the fifty dollar bill I'd given her, she said, "We're good, right?" meaning that she didn't expect to have to give him change. (The bill was around forty-five dollars.) Can you imagine being a server and assuming all of the change was your tip?! That's seriously nervy. I do know that sometimes young people are taken advantage of, the idea being (I guess) that they won't do anything about it.

The minute my son got home and told me all of this, I was on the phone asking for the manager. The person who answered asked who was calling, and I gave her my name with great authority -- as if she would know who I am! The manager was very apologetic and nice, and said he would speak to the curbside staff. He also asked for my address so he could send me some gift certificates. I was pissed but nice. The cold food was not great, but that was the least of it. I think the manager handled it well -- much better than the airline with which I recently had a problem did. (It was United, by the way.) And I thought I had another customer service-related story to tell, but it's hopped right out of my head. Oh, well. Next topic!