Yesterday morning (Monday), I received a phone call from someone I had emailed Friday afternoon. He had returned my email with a phone call, leaving a message because I wasn't at my desk. I didn't listen to the message until I was heading out the door on Friday afternoon, and not giving it a second thought, figured I would call him back when I got into the office Monday morning.
At 9:50 am, this man, who must be the most important person in the world, called me back as I was checking my email Monday morning. He criticized me, my company, my "lack of communication", and asked me if "this is a way I run a business?" Completely taken aback, I informed him that I was not in the office all weekend, that it was literally before 10am on a Monday morning, and that his one, single message had been listened to late Friday afternoon.
I get that business relationships are different that personal ones. But what I don't get is the assumption that I must be bad or wrong because I didn't do things up to his standards. Be nice! You don't know me. You have no idea what I was doing or when I was doing it.
I worked as a waitress in Wilmington, NC for a summer. One Sunday night as we were getting ready to close, a man and his wife came in to get a late dinner. I served them happily, while at the same time tending to my side work duties. I offered them coffee and dessert, they chose coffee, and as they sipped on their cups, I brought them their $70 bill. I was excited to add another $15 to my tips from that night.
But apparently I did something wrong. He told my manager I hadn't offered them dessert. That I didn't give them the attention they should have gotten. He was in the restaurant business and he would never be OK with his employees treating a customer the way I had.
When my manager told me these things, I was so surprised. I had done everything well. They were my only table and I was giving them stellar service. (Side note: if you had worked so long in the restaurant business, wouldn't you know and understand that it's just downright ANNOYING to come into a restaurant demanding a three course meal ten minutes before the kitchen closes? But that's not the point.)
On top of his rudeness and complaints, he had only tipped me $4 on a $70 dinner.
For me, there is nothing more satisfying than giving a good tip. I even enjoy tipping extra well when servers see Dave and I as just young kids and expect a crappy tip. I always imagine their faces when they see we gave them 30 percent. Maybe they will realize that good tippers come in all ages.
We know what it's like to be servers. We know what it's like to be the low man on the todem pole. I feel bad for those people who have never struggled or have never worked service jobs. It teaches you about people. How to treat them, whether they are rude or sweet. (I may bitch about it at length later on, but that's only because I truly don't understand why anyone has to be rude... ever.) I always win because I am nice.
I once spent an hour and a half on the phone with Verizon because the customer service representative I was talking to was new and still learning the ropes. My patience landed me a $50 credit to my account.
Niceness always, always wins.
So I challenge you once again: be nice. That person that is calling you annoying you to pay your student loans, they probably have student loan debt, too, and they are working the only job they could get. Be nice to them. Next time you go out to eat, tip your waiter/waitress a little extra. You have no idea what their story is. That extra ten dollars may change their day. If someone is rude to you, don't be rude back. Kill them with kindness. It may open their eyes to the way they are treating people, and if it doesn't, at least you tried.
Everyone knows how it feels to have a bad day versus a good day. So pay it forward, flash a smile, apologize even if you know you're right, and have patience.
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