The Sweet Service Award goes to Maison, for its generous service for my son’s wedding lunch earlier this week. I had booked a table, and we chose to sit in the new Deli section, which had been cleared for our party. Chef Arno Janse van Rensburg sent a complimentary platter of dishes from their new Tapas menu. His team also made a surprise celebratory chocolate cake for the newly-weds.
The Sour Service Award goes to Arnold’s Auto Services on New Church Street in the city centre, and its rude non-customer-orientated owner Piet Wärnich. I needed brakepads fitted to my car, and had been recommended to Arnold’s by a nearby tyre fitment company . I went to Arnold’s twice to allow them to check which brakepads the car needed, so that they could pre-order them. Each time I went there Piet had an excuse as to why he could not replace the brakepads immediately, including telling me that I should wait for the car’s computer to tell me that the brakepads should be replaced, which happened a week later! He did not take the car’s VIN number to check which brakepads were required and whether he had them in stock. I had to bring the car a third time, and was told that it would take about 90 minutes, and that he would call when the car was ready. I sat at Crust (free wifi – thank you) for 4½ hours until they closed at 15h30, and then wandered back to Arnold’s. When I got there the front brakepads (which they did not have in stock) had not yet been delivered, and I became increasingly impatient. Piet (dressed in a blue overall coat looking like a school janitor) became increasingly rude, and pointed his finger at me repeatedly when he spoke to me, when I asked him to chase the motorbike delivery service coming from Belville! When the work was completed after 5½ hours the ABSA Garage Card would not accept my payment on Arnold’s ancient card machine, the first time ever that this has happened, and Piet threatened to throw me out without my car if the card payment did not go through. The following day I heard a terrible noise on the rear brakes, and had to go to Supa Quick to get the problem fixed, despite Piet having done a test-drive with my car!
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. FOR THE DURATION OF MASTERCHEF SA SEASON 3 WE ARE MOVING THE SWEET & SOUR SERVICE AWARDS TO SATURDAYS.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Tel (021) 433-2100, Twitter:@WhaleCottage Facebook: click here
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