It seems I forgot to pick up a couple of shirts at a local dry cleaner. I still had the claim checks, though they seemed like they might be from a few months back. So I headed over and presented my two claim checks. The lady behind the counter told me my claim checks were NOT from their dry cleaner. Another lady working off to the side looked at the claim checks and assured me, "these are NOT our claim checks."
I went home and threw the claim checks away, but noticed the number 9066 on one of them. This was last week.
Yesterday, there's a message on my home answering machine: "We've been doing some inventory and there's a shirt here from you. We've had it for quite awhile. Come on in and get it. The number is 9066."
I now realize I've thrown away the other claim check and I didn't know its number. So I call and explain that I was in last week with THE claim check that corresponded with the message left on my machine. That I was a bit upset because I had come by with that same claim check and was told it was NOT one of theirs. And that I had another claim check and now that was thrown away.
Her response floored me: "We just don't keep the same claim checks for very long. Do you know how long it would take to find one item on our rack of clothes? We have every right to throw a shirt away after 30 days."
After a barrage of how they knew what they're doing and my coming by and presenting THEIR claim check didn't mean anything to her, I concluded I was lucky that one of my shirts was found and that I needed to end the call and move on.
And we all know the outcome to this story: I'll be looking elsewhere to take my dry cleaning business. They lose a few bucks next week when I don't bring in my next order, but over the span of a few years considerably more.
How much does effort does it take to drum up a bit of good manners? Sometimes the make and break of a lost customer or a client that doesn't come on board is simply that: good manners.
