Can't win for losing

This is not a big deal, but it came to me after I saw that internet ecard that said, well here it is >>>. I can't say it better than the writer did.

You see this all the time when people are talking over difficult things such as buying a new car or choosing an upholsterer.  You say what you want and the other side says what they can give you for the money you have to spend...and so it goes.  The quote would remind us to listen to what the other guy is saying and then formulate a response based on that, not on what we hoped or expected him to say.

So what brings all this to mind?  Another of my long winded stories , I'm afraid.  See, not so long ago, my lovely bride and I went to dinner at a local branch of a chain restaurant that features a rustic atmosphere. To protect their identity, let's call them the "Backer Crarrel" restaurant.  No one will ever figure out that complicated code!

The ride up to the restaurant was nice and the server greeted us promptly and kindly.  We jackpotted back and forth a little and then ordered up.  I always come close to ordering something different, but in the end I always go with Grandma's Pancake Breakfast with a side of grits.

It being dinnertime, Peggy ordered dinner food.  Right?

Well along came my chow.  The eggs, which were supposed to be over easy, were scrambled.  Marky no likey.  The grits were cold, and they gave Peggy spinach instead of the tiny baby carrots she loves (and had ordered). So when Nichole the server came by, we told her what was wrong and she took care of it right away. In a twinkling she took the wrong food away and in a trice she was back with eggs over easy, new hot grits and an order and a half of rabbit food.

What struck me was that Nichole acted as if it had been her dinner that the guy got wrong.  Discussing it with us as I shoved grits down my neck, she told us also that the cook had run her a little attitude and told her that she made more moolah serving than he did cooking.  As if that mattered to my eggs and grits and Peggy's carrots.

So, being a guy who likes to point out good things when I see them, I wrote to the good folks down at the Backer Crarrel Corporation, and was flabbergasted days later to get this form email response:

Thank you for taking time to contact us here at (you know where).  It's always a pleasure to hear from our guests.  

Please know we take all our guest comments seriously and view them as opportunities for improvement.  Of course, it disappoints us to hear of unsatisfactory visits to our locations however we accept the challenge before us to improve.

I am certainly sorry to hear of your recent disappointment while visiting our store in Bel Air, MD.  The District Manager for this location has been notified of your unpleasant experience and will take the proper steps to ensure policies and procedures are being followed and that all employees are properly trained.  

We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again soon and will certainly strive to make your next visit much more enjoyable.

Sincerely,

The thing of it is, I hadn't gone into detail about the cook and what he said to the server, as that is filed in the "Nunnamye" folder (Nunnamye business).  All I had done is tell the friends and neighbors at corporate HQ about how Nichole had turned the situation around, and whoever read that original email read about two lines and said "Send him the "sorry we didn't cook your food right but we will use this as a learning opportunity for Clem the Cook" email."

When I got the above, I wrote back that instant and told them they totally misread my email and could someone please just tell Nichole thanks for her extra efforts.  I haven't heard back from them.  I guess they don't have a "so THAT'S what you meant!" form email.