The Sweet Service Award goes to freeRange Jewels in the Cape Quarter, which assisted me in securing a pearl back onto the pin of my earring, while I waited for it, cleaning it and re-gluing it, without charging for the service. Whilst waiting for the earring, I went to have a cappuccino at Rocca next door. I didn’t realise that it was the handover day between the previous Greek owners to the new British owners, so they were not actually operating, but their front door was open. New owner Ken offered me a cappuccino on the house, apologising that they were not quite ready to begin operating.
The Sour Service Award goes to All Care Maintenance in Somerset West. A year ago I had taken my car there for a service, and everything was efficiently dealt with, except for the oil cap not having been closed, which gave the car a terrible smell of burnt oil. I had to go to my Mercedes Benz dealership in Cape Town to get the problem solved. I booked the service a week ago before the service with Phillip, who always answered the phone, the owner Benjamin Droomer not returning my calls. I told Philip that I needed replacement bonnet shocks as well as a windscreen water bottle, both of which I discussed with Benjamin a few days before the service. I was assured by Philip and Benjamin that the parts would be available when my car came in. Philip dropped me off at a coffee shop (using a client car I was horrified to see) and was meant to fetch me there too, but he ran out of petrol on the way. Very kindly restaurant owner Anton Bekker gave me a lift back to All Care. There I was told that both the water bottle and the shocks were not available for my model car, even though they had all the details of my car in their system from last year! When I got into my car, I noticed that my seat had been moved, despite my request to Philip that it not be moved. Benjamin told me that he would have to replace the spark plugs the next time I came, not explaining why it wasn’t done, nor why the brake pads were not looked at! When I got home, I noticed that the staff had changed a setting, affecting the side mirrors, no longer folding in towards the window when I locked the car. I called Benjamin the following morning, asking him for assistance in fixing this problem. He promised to call me back, after finding out how to do it, but I never heard from him again! I will not be going back to All Care, which should change its name to NO Care!
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 whalecot@iafrica.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.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage
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