Little boy grows up a bit
Posted on December 17, 2006 - Filed Under Uncategorized
As many of you already know, we got our first family holiday pictures taken. We sent out little cards specially designed for the purpose of sharing those pictures with friends and loved ones. If you didn’t get one, it’s not because you don’t qualify (LOL); the real reason would be the fact that we do not have your address. So, if you want one, email one of us your physical address and we’ll get it out to you ASAP.
There’s a good story behind these pictures. Erin had a good experience getting photos taken at JCPenney’s in FL, so we decided to go back to them in Boise. This one is a much bigger portrait studio; instead of just one photographer, they have a good half dozen or more, along with a support staff, etc. They seemed competent and professional at first glance; that impression quickly faded for me as we got into the appointment. The photographer did not seem very sure of herself and as time passed, we were able to see why. Their procedure for having you review the photos and selecting the ones you want, while a whole lot better than reviewing them three weeks after the appointment, was really bad because of their computers. These things were so old you kind of wondered if they were a for-profit business or an under-funded rural school. The software was horrible as well. After the appointment was over, we waited in line for what seemed like an eternity to pay, my thought being, ‘Well, if you don’t want my money, which I am here in line trying to give to you, then I’ll keep it for myself.’ We left with a date by which we would be able to pick them up. The only decent about this experience was the price; compared to the photographers in Asheville, the price seemed fairly reasonable.
So, a couple weeks later, Erin giddy with anticipation, we made a trip to Boise to retrieve our photos (there were other things scheduled for that day as well…we try never to drive the 100 mile round trip for a single purpose). Turns out they had not yet been delivered. Yeah, I was pissed. If I pay for something and/or a business commits to something, there better be a really good reason why whatever was supposed to happen did not. Greatly disappointed, we left the mall, resolved to return the following weekend.
Return we did, only to find the photographer had screwed up the cards we intended to send out to 40+ of our hommies and peeps (if you received one and don’t see anything wrong with it, I won’t ruin the experience for you by telling what’s wrong with it…ignorance truly is bliss). One top of that, one of the photographs we liked so much we elected to enlarge it to 8’ x 10’ was out of focus, another sign of the photographer’s incompetence and how bad the computers were, i.e. if the computers were decent, we would have been able to see the photo was not worth enlarging. To wrap all of this up, 1. the photographs were late, 2. the photographer was awful at her job, resulting in no less than two distinct errors, and 3. the in-house technology was not sufficient to complete the associated task.
When we reviewed all of the photographs and put all of this together, obviously I was really ticked off. Now, some of you will understand the difficult position I found myself in for you know how much I dislike confrontation. I avoid it out of some kind of fear, of what I do not yet comprehend. It has caused me to turn away from many conversations I definitely should have had throughout my life, but I have been gradually growing tired of myself in this regard. I decided this was an occasion which warranted my acting like something more than a socially inept little kid. So I told the guy, Adam I think his name was, that the results of their efforts were completely unacceptable. He tried to explain away the problems but his comments were far from sufficient compensation. I asked to speak to a manager but she was not available. So I abandoned Erin for a moment to find another manager, knowing that a customer having to go and find another manager and bring him/her in to the studio would embarrass the employees so much we would probably be granted some kind of good-enough results. That manager came in with me, saw the problems, and did not argue with me about them. Adam got his head screwed on right and gave us our money back, as well as allowing us to retain the products.
I cannot tell you how proud I was of myself; I had faced a demon, having not just slashed it’s neck but pooped down it’s throat as well. I am also very thankful to Erin because, although she was nervous while I was talking to him, she allowed me to have the conversation and did not interrupt me. I spoke to Adam very politely, not making the focus any person but rather the errors committed. It might seem I am making a mountain out of a molehill but I cannot tell you how pleased I am with myself, how incredibly empowered I felt. It really was an experience I want to remember so that when the circumstances warrant it again and I am feeling nervous, I can draw upon it for perspective and realize there’s nothing which says I need to just put up with less than satisfactory results.
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No, really… I listen to everything you have to say. So, send me something…
Alas, I have no e-mail addy for either of you. If you’re so inclined…. bwretlind@hawaii.rr.com.
Ben & Erica
Hey, good to see you are still cruising around on our beloved web and very good to see you are still checking in on us. I check in you couple of times a week or so but it seems I am always met with disappointment because of the lack of updates.
As far as the email goes, jason@raisingus.com will work. I really have to take the time to put our email addresses up somewhere on the site, but as I have talked about here recently, I (most of the time) don’t have time to do much of anything other than the most necessary items of life. I know with four little ones you can understand.