The Sweet Service Award  goes to Café Le Chocolatier in Franschhoek, and its manager Toni, for calling to say that she had noticed that I had been overcharged for a loaf of rye bread on doing the cash-up.  I should have received two loaves for R35, not just one, even though I did question the price for the small loaf with the waitress when I paid. I had returned to Cape Town by the time Toni called, but she has invited me back, for a coffee, and another loaf of bread.

The Sour Service Award  goes to Pep Stores, for their inconsistent policy on cellphone sales.  I only go to Pep Stores to buy cellphones (their phones are the cheapest) for my staff, usually at the Sea Point branch, where I show my ID and pay, and receive a cellphone.  The Franschhoek branch of Pep Stores would not sell me a cellphone if I did not have the ID plus an account proving my residential address.  Luckily I had a Whale Cottage Franschhoek invoice with our street address on it, which the sales lady accepted, even though my name was not on it all, and therefore did not match my ID book!  It did mean two trips to Pep Stores, and a lot of hassle for a R99 phone purchase.

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.

POSTSCRIPT 18/2:  I went to Café Le Chocolatier today to collect my bread and to have the cappuccino.  While I was there I decided to have a quick scrambled egg breakfast too.  The owner, Dr Daniel Waldis, refused to let me pay for the breakfast, and sent me on my way with a box of their delicious chocolates, which he said are now served in SAA’s First Class cabin.   He went the extra mile in terms of their service recovery.