Apropos an opinion piece we ran last week by Howard Badler, I'm a great believer in the fact that you attract more bees with sugar than vinegar, so I make a point of complimenting good service when I get it. But then I also complain when I feel I need to - but I make sure I couch it in terms that do not offend the poor waiter when it wasn't their fault that the meal was unsatisfactory. In fact, I go one better - I try humour, and every so often it works. Some time back I ordered steak, which was somewhat small. When the waiter came to check, he fell right into it... "How did you find your steak, sir?" My swift answer, "Hey, quite by accident - I moved a chip, and there it was," delivered with broad grin, got me a free glass of wine. It also got me a bigger steak the next time we went to the same restaurant. But have you ever tried phoning a business to compliment them? Half the time it's like the Weakest Link when it comes to questions as to why you wish to speak to the manager, and finally, when you do get through, the defensiveness coming over the line is sometimes palpable. That says something for the calls he or she usually gets from a customer... Service levels in this country are still not what they should be, but who knows... perhaps a more pro-active approach by us, the consumer, might work. It's worth a try, anyway.


Rod Baker, Content Manager