The day started with Irish People.
For those of you who know me, you know that I have a thing about accents. We had 2 honest-to-goodness Irish People staying there, and I was left smiling every time there was any sort of interaction. This was probably a good thing, considering.
A rather large group a Federal Employees was in the middle of checking in this particular evening. Droves of them. When I asked the purpose of visit, the response I received was deservedly vague. "A workshop. Measuring things."
Aaaaah.
Really.
As I am naturally a very nosy person, it is difficult to be satisfied with such an answer, but I have learned that sometimes it it best to just not ask questions.
And then there she was.
Lets call her...(Jane is already used...how about Susan? Susan it is!)
There she stood. Shorter than me...which is a feat in itself. She was rather thin, with thin coffee hair, large features...and dare I say...very large, slightly protruding eyeballs. As if there was something THAT MINUTE that was so astounding that they might pop out and roll across our freshly-put-in marble flooring. Now with that bit of imagery in mind...
Susan: I want a fridge. I brought food.
Me: I understand M'am. You're in a King room, most of them have fridges.
S: But I have to have one. Assign me to a room with one
M: I don't have a list of which rooms have one and which don't, but most of the kings have them.
S: I have food that will spoil.
M: Check your room, if you don't have one, give me a call. We can move one in for $10 if there isn't one in there
S:I shouldn't have to pay
**there is a line building up**
M: check your room, and we'll work something out if you don't have one
S: grrrr. hmph. grrrr.
Ok...I'm betting most everyone is done with the inane dialogue, as I can most assuredly say *I* was. So I get a call. And you guessed it. She didn't have one. (of course not!!! that would make my job EASY!!) Her problem was that some of her "friends" had them. (apparently these "friends" didn't want her food in their fridges) I even called the general manager and she knew of a fridge that could be moved. But Susan didn't want to pay for it.
Ok. Honesty time. I can actually really see her point. It was plain luck that they got them, and of COURSE she didn't want to pay for something that everyone else had gotten as a matter of course.
The problem was, as is with most people, how she handled it after that point. But really, after my introduction, how could it have been any different?
This was during our Free Booze Hour (*ahem* sorry...."complimentary happy hour") She came up and spent 10 minutes telling me that it wasn't fair. Then she suggested that I just switch her rooms to one with one in it. (umm...I told you I DON'T have a list). And then...THEN she suggested that I send someone around to scout out a room with one in it. (like that's all our maintenance people have to do???). She worked the "lets switch rooms" thingy for a while, then the "its not fair" thingy for a few more minutes.
What was interesting is that she kept going into the bar, getting a drink, and then coming over to the desk to repeat herself. Like I would all of the sudden change my tune? Who knows. But finally, she wanted to make a complaint. So I gave her a piece of paper and a pen and she went to the bar to write it down. She came back with the page filled, front and back. She looked me straight in the eye and said. "Do you have an envelope?"
I gave her one, and she looked at me again, then sealed it. Then she had a dilemma. She had to give it to me in order for the manager to get it. But she didn't trust me. (maybe? I don't know...but she was sure leery about handing it over) But really...the whole sealing the envelope thing was so funny. Unfortunately, laughing would have been the wrong response. I mean...REALLY the wrong thing to do....but 'twas so tempting...
So although she kept saying that she understood I couldn't do anything FOR her, she had this urge to keep asking, to keep making SURE. Or maybe she just had to make sure I was constantly aware of her unhappiness.
I've just never heard an adult say "Its not fair....." that many times in the course of so few hours. I'm sorry Susan. Life isn't fair.
No comments:
Post a Comment