Resurrected

I've been doing my blogging elsewhere for the past 6 months, but I've decided to revive this one. I need a place where I can say whatever I want to without worrying whether I'm saying the right thing or not! :) SO, I gave my old friend a face-lift, and off we go again!

I'm on crutches now, having done a real number on my ankle some three weeks ago. I confess that I am probably one of the WORST patients on the planet! I can't tell you how annoyed I am that I have to take crutches with me wherever I go! It's massively inconvenient!

I find it HILARIOUS that crutches seem to be an invitation for strangers to ask you anything they like. If I were to walk into a store limping, but sans crutches, no one would presume to ask, "So, why do you limp?" Walk in on crutches, and almost everyone you encounter will ask, "What happened to you?"

I probably wouldn't mind being asked if my story was interesting. "I fell out my own front door" never elicits a gasp or an "Oh, my!" Instead, it makes people laugh! I think from now on when people ask about my injury, I'll tell them, "I was driving along when I noticed a burning building full of small children. I rushed into the fire over and over again to rescue them one or two at a time. They were all safely outside when I noticed that one of them was wandering into the path of the oncoming firetruck! I ran towards the child, snatching her out of the way and flinging her to safety on the lawn a fraction of a second before the firetruck ran over my foot. And that's what happened."

Much more interesting. Less true, perhaps... but more interesting!

The other thing that's in my space today is that, for the first time since opening my small home business, I have let a customer down. I know how it happened, which doesn't make it okay. I received emails from two different customers within a day of each other. One needed a bracelet by the 4th of December, the other by the 11th of Dec. I assured both of them that I could accommodate them, and they both ordered. When I printed the invoices, I made hand-written notes on each form regarding the date they needed to be delivered.

As it turns out, I wrote the wrong dates on the wrong forms, and because I was sure I had it right, it never occurred to me to re-check the emails. I shipped the package for the girl who needed it by the 11th on Monday the 29th, thinking she needed it by Sat the 4th. The other I shipped last night, thinking she needed it by the 11th. SHE actually needed it TODAY! Are you following all this???


The bottom line is that I have one VERY unhappy customer who is going to a baptism tomorrow without the gift I promised her she would have in time. I issued her an immediate refund before she even requested one, and told her to keep the bracelet when it arrives, but that doesn't solve her problem. I'm absolutely sick about the whole thing and can't stop thinking about it. I have always gone out of my way to make sure that my customers have the experience of being heard, honored, and taken care of. Now I have ruined this customers plans and broken my word to her. I just want to cry. I think I will.

I know that I've done all I can for her at this point (short of offering her another free item, which I will probably do), and I know that things like this happen frequently in the world of retail mail order. I just HATE that it happened to one of MY customers, and that the mistake was so preventable. All I had to do was double-check my notes.

I really have to get my act together. ASAP. This can't happen ever again.

I'm really excited for Christmas this year! It's the first year in a long, long time that it will be just us... a small, family, stay-at-home Christmas. Now I just need to get my decorations up!!!