The Sweet Service Award goes to Kfm, for its improved broadcast quality and volume in Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Camps Bay, and in Hout Bay. After years of only receiving the radio station in the car or by livestreaming, and then not very well (in the car in Franschhoek in particular), the radio station is now broadcasting on a number of frequencies close to its main 94.5 FM frequency! The Kfm App is fantastic too, with better quality than livestreaming via the internet, and the radio station on can be listened to all over the world.
The Sour Service Award goes to Gardens Locksmiths. I needed a heavy-duty outside gate lock changed, and my handyman suggested that I call a locksmith for this. I called three locksmiths, and was told that I needed a new barrel for a Cusa lock with keys. The third company I called was Gardens Locksmiths, which had been recommended by my hardware store Hammer & Tongs in the Gardens Centre. The lady answering the phone asked a lot of questions. I gave her the number of the key for the lock we currently had. She quoted the barrel price, the call-out fee, a total of under R600. When the locksmith arrived, he said that he had brought the wrong part, and that the barrel alone costs R600, so a team returned an hour later to replace the correct part. The paperwork I received did not meet the SARS requirements for a ‘Tax Invoice‘, and VAT had been added but had not been quoted. I mentioned this to the owner’s son when he gave me the invoice. His mother, the owner’s wife, called me as soon as he had relayed the message to her, hyperventilating about my feedback, becoming abusive, and accused me of not wanting to pay when I asked her to reissue the invoice according to correct VAT requirements. Within 15 minutes her husband had arrived at my door, hurling further abuse, and creating such a commotion that I had to call my security company. He threatened to remove the lock his staff had just installed. I called another locksmith, got a better quote, and asked him to come to my property. I then told the Garden Locksmiths’ owner to remove his lock, as he was such an unpleasant person to deal with. In front of the Bay Response staff member and myself, he took out the whole lock and inside release plate (my property and not supplied by him) and dashed off. We called the Camps Bay police for this theft, but they were not interested. The new locksmiths could not install a new barrel due to the stolen lock casing. As my property was now even more unsecured, with no lock at all, I had no option but to call Gardens Locksmiths, and request him to return with my stolen items, and reinstall the lock. They brought a corrected invoice with them, and we paid them immediately to put an end to a most dreadful and unprofessional saga! The total non-VAT invoice came to R1025, making Gardens Locksmiths the most expensive of the three quotes I had received!
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.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Tel (021) 433-2100, Twitter:@WhaleCottage Facebook: click here
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