What Happened to Good Ol' Customer Service?

I am not a complainer. Having said that, I'm going to complain. It takes a lot for me to do this, but it's been on my mind for days and it's driving me crazy, so I'm putting it out there. What happened to good ol' customer service?

I've been in some form of customer service most of my life. I know what good service is, I can tell when someone goes out of their way to be nice, do something extra, etc., and I try to acknowledge it whenever possible. If something goes wrong, my order isn't quite right, I accept that we're all human and move on. However....

We recently had a building renovated. I've never been involved with something like this, so it's been a new experience for me. I was on-site every day, just checking in, in case there were any questions or problems. I even made the guys cookies, and I never do that! Everyone did a very good job, they were polite, even made suggestions for a few extras we hadn't thought of, and then did those extras in a timely manner.

We had spray foam insulation put in upstairs to insulate the new duct work. The unfinished upstairs was being used as the storage area for all the furniture and stuff from the main level, which was being totally remodeled. We were told to put everything in the middle of the room, as the ducts run down both sides of the room. We did this.

Here's my beef: At no time did ANYONE ever say "You might want to cover all your stuff with a tarp or plastic sheet so it doesn't get ruined from the overspray". We were on-site when they were there. They talked to us. The other contractors talked to us. NOT ONE PERSON mentioned how horrible the overspray is to clean up.

I don't blame MN Spray Foam and Insulation, their guys did the job. However, I am extremely disappointed in their lack of customer service on this issue. I know it's difficult to hire people that actually care about their jobs--been there on both sides. But come on, guys!

I have spent hours and hours cleaning and scraping that overspray off my furniture and things. I have things that are ruined and I can't get clean. I have used rolls of paper towels, spray cleaner, cloth towels, water, my hands are so rough from it all and I feel I have wasted hours of my life because no one thought to mention this one teeny tiny little thing. True, I never thought to ask either, but then I shouldn't have to. I paid them a ton of money, I'm the customer, and in this case, I think a little extra customer service would have gone a long way. Actually, it's not even an "extra", it's part of the job.

All in all, I'm happy with the way the building turned out and I can't wait to show it off. Now...back to scraping and cleaning that darn overspray....

October Ramblings and Holiday Elegance Collection

I normally LOVE this time of year--the crisp, autumn air smells like leaves, there's lots to do outside, shopping for pumpkins and decorations and playing with kids. This year, however, it's been gloomy, rainy, snowy, and just plain yucky. They keep saying on the news that we are setting a record for lack of sun. Oh yes, please, keep telling us that! It really helps everyone's mood.

So I've been keeping busy inside as much as possible. Cooking (mostly big pots of yummy soup), sewing (the little fabric bags for HAEE orders), and playing with my perfume goodies! I know I should be cleaning, but I like a sunny day for that (with the windows cracked open and the stereo blasting). Because we have no sun, I'm not going to clean. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I recently sent out sample bags to Snowberry Creek, but in order to do that, I had to have my Holiday Elegance Collection ready to go. So I spent a few days playing and I ended up with 13 scents for the collection! Once I got started I just couldn't stop. After we make the scents, we test them on people and in rooms. (Some scents make incredible soy tarts and candles, some make wonderful bath and body products. In my opinion, there's scents I'd definitely have in my house but that I wouldn't wear myself, and vice versa.)

So without further ado, here is the list of scents and a brief description. These will be added to the website in November. "Holiday Elegance 2009" consists of:

Winter's Kiss--pretty, girly, perfumy, like the first snow glistening on the ground.

Torcolato--the name belongs to an Italian dessert wine. This one is a little sweet, heavy, and lightly spicy. It too would make an incredible dessert wine.

Snowbunny--I used to downhill ski and I remember going into the lounge after a long day on the slopes and having a rich hot chocolate with Peppermint Schnapps, whipped cream, and little marshmallows. This is it!

Ice--not the kind you find here in Minnesota on the lakes! No, we're talking diamonds here. Clear, brilliant, attention-getting.

Gift of the Magi--this is one of those scents that sneaks into your senses, grabs hold, and doesn't let go...I'm a big foodie, this is not a foodie scent, but I love it and can't get enough! It's lightly floral. One of my new favorites!

Caramel Embrace--Here's a foodie, it's OMG yummy! It's a White Russian drink meets Caramel. It's fantastic as a Whipped Sugar Scrub or Shine On Shampoo!

Winterberry Musk--this scent is Christmas in a bottle! It's greenery, it's pomegranates, it's musk. I just had to test this with soy tarts and it made my house smell so wonderful I wanted to start putting up decorations! (It's not even Halloween yet.)

Chateau Noel 2009--continuing the tradition that Michele started several years ago, we have our Chateau entry. Noel smells sexy and mysterious.

Christmas Moon--a holiday delight, this is reminiscent of sugar plum fairies, sugared nuts and fruits, and light spices.

Krumkake--a Norwegian tradition, Krumkake is a dessert that I grew up with. This scent is so close you'll want to eat it.

Coconut Truffle--another dessert foodie and I love it! Yay, my favorites all wrapped in one--rich, dreamy chocolate, coconut, a creamy filling. Try this as a Whipped Sugar Scrub, Shine On Shampoo, or Damage Remedy Conditioner! You can't handle it as a lotion, because you'll be licking it off all day.

Hazelnut Cappucino--exactly what you'd think--creamy, dreamy, delicious!

No name yet--a sexy, dark fragrance, great for men! With fabulous Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Vetiver, it will knock your socks off. Or his. (There's a kitten?)