The Sweet Service Award goes to Terry Bingley of Bingley Tours for speedily transporting guests from Cape Town airport to Hermanus when the contracted company did not arrive to collect the guests, and for accepting payment at the (lower) rate quoted by the other company.
The Sour Service Award goes to Caltex garage at UMS Sales in De Waterkant for the poor and slow service from the attendant, who had to count the day’s takings first before he could fill the car with petrol. When the customer complained, the attendant became abusive, and the customer had to lock the car windows, out of fear. No offer of cleaning the windscreen, checking the tyres etc is ever made. The son of the owner expressed surprise and even irritation when this feedback was presented to him the following day, as he and his father are never visible at the forecourt of the garage, and yet he wanted to dispute the feedback. The customer has decided to never use this petrol station again, despite its convenient location.
The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog. Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at info@whalecottage.com. Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website.

I am not surprised to hear the complaint of Caltex as we had similair problems at a garage in Bothasig. The proudly state that although they don’t accept credit cards they take debit cards and garage cards. After filling up I present my card and the attendant returns and says the machine won’t accept the card because it is not a debit card when you can clearly see that it is so marked on the card.
After a few rude remarks from the attendant we managed to get the garage card through. And when asked to speak to a manager he said that we must not waste the manager’s time.
Absolutely pathetic !!!