Just in time

After Charlotte left for California, we had to refurnish her bedroom and recently went to RC Willey, a major western furniture store owned by Warren Buffet, to get a new bed. After getting over the sticker shock (bedding has become quite expensive these days), we arranged for delivery that was scheduled for this past Thursday afternoon. Late morning that day, the driver called us and said that we should expect delivery between 1 and 3 pm. Around 4 pm, we were still waiting, so I called the store’s customer service department and spoke to Cami. She tried to contact the delivery guys on their cell phone, but to no avail. I asked her what she thought of the way they had not called to tell us about their delay, but she only could make excuses for them. At about 4:45 pm, I called her again and received the same muddled answer. I then escalated my call to Alex, her supervisor. I asked him if he thought my time was valuable and if these guys were behaving in ways consistent with their company’s goal, and after a false start, a light came up and he started to agree with me; finally, he apologized profusely on the delivery crew’s behalf. I made him understand that I needed a redress of some sort and promised to call me back with a solution. As the delivery truck pulled by our house, Alex was on the phone and said he’d send me a store gift card. Better than nothing, but what a piece of work!