Take My Money, Please - (part two)

 

Take My Money, Please - (part two)

Good news and bad news. Bad news – no IRS refund. Good news – no payment due! This means I can move forward with my pursuit of a TV room worthy of being on a decorator show house tour.

We left off with my looking forward to a meeting with Trudy. I arrived on time only to be greeted by Trudy frantically telling me she was working with another customer (and what am I - chopped liver?) and really needed to make this sale. She turned me over to David – the same David who had ghosted me for the past 2 weeks. And…. today was his last day. Do I need to tell you how enthusiastic he was to work with me? Anyway, he hadn’t been to my house and Trudy had made no plans or notes on the computer. No help here.

A half hour later, Trudy is ready to work with me! I already knew the chairs I wanted. No table nor lamp suggestions – only a lot of fumbling on the computer. We never got around to choosing fabrics, tables, lamps or artwork After 2 hours, I asked to purchase the rug. I asked to have it delivered. Trudy was adamant –“no, you can get the rug in your SUV and this will save you money!” After almost 2 ½ hours, at this point I was too weak to argue.

Now, what we did accomplish was learning Trudy’s life story along with her mother’s. I got to see a photo of the dying mother in her hospice bed in Santa Maria. I learned that Trudy and her boyfriend had 7 cars and lived in an upscale bay area neighborhood. Someone asked me what they did with 7 cars and I said I think they aggravate their neighbors.

We agreed to meet in two weeks and I knew that if I received the same service(?) I would need to find another designer. I had my little dialogue all planned. “As much as I would hate to not work with you, it seems as if I’m adding to your stress, so please know that if you aren’t able to work with me, I’ll understand.” This was unnecessary – Trudy never showed up. She had called in sick.

And…. another designer is assigned! I’m approached by a lovely young woman, I show her my color samples and tell her what I need and voila! Within a half hour, I’m done! But…………. I know nothing of her life – as it should be! The best part is that she reordered my rug and it WILL be delivered along with the chairs and ottoman.

Having spent almost 50 years as a real estate broker, working hard to make transactions smooth and seamless for my clients, my expectations may be set too high. If any of my past clients are reading this, please leave a comment - only if you agree that I made your transaction smooth and seamless!