Originally Posted by Quixote
I just did a quick search on TOTV of the word “BEWARE,” which seems to be a major issue for some posters. I looked at only the first four out of twelve pages that came up in the search and quickly found these titles: “Beware Pegasus Water Systems,” “Beware of Stone Creations,” “Mattress Firm – beware,” “Beware of Cash for iPhones,” “Beware of Scammers on Zillow for Rent,” “Beware of Corban Construction,” “Beware of Comcast, a Personal Opinion,” “Beware Mid-Florida Heating & Air trying to sell Surge Protectors,” “Buyer beware – tru landscaping solutions,” “Beware bonded leather,” “Beware of The Villages Urgent Care if you have UHC The Villages HMO,” “Beware Flea Collars!” “Beware Flea Collars” [two separate threads with the same title], “Beware of Magnolia dental,” “Scam, Beware of ‘FREE Android Tablet’,” and “Beware New ‘Phishing’ Scam,” “Beware Paying Property Tax online Sumter Co.,” “Beware of Jewelry Design,” “Buyer Beware – City Furniture,” “Beware the e-mail for Credit Scores free,” “BEWARE – T Shirt Thief at Charlotte Pool,” “Beware of the RMD,” and “Beware – Precision Aluminum – stay away!!!”
I did not read each thoroughly, but a quick glance told me that not a single poster expressed criticism of the use of the word “beware.” There were many threads that must have included the word “beware” in a posting if it came up in the search, even if not in the title. Granted not all pertained to local merchants. However, none involved a charity, which may say something about negative feelings that some have about charity in general. I certainly agree with those posters who said unequivocally that no one—individual or business—is obliged to be charitable. However, I am grateful that I was not brought up feeling this way.
Yes, I definitely spoke to the regional manager (not a minimum-wage clerk), made an appointment with him, met with him on an agreed date and time at the office of the self-service facility, explained exactly what our charity does, and presented complete documentation of the charity in print format, which he kept.
Yes, he made it clear that I would be called on a Monday morning to be given a storage unit number, at which point we could bring our loaded vehicles to unload into the unit and to be sure to bring our own lock for the unit. Hew even discussed the size of the unit.
No, the call never came. I called several times during the next few days and left messages each time, while our vehicles were tied up filled with merchandise, and never received the courtesy of a callback until over a week later, at which point the very same regional manager I had met with told me he was reneging on his offer of a unit.
Yes, I acknowledge now I made a major mistake by not taking into account what has sadly (to me, anyway…) has become completely meaningless in today’s world: a handshake and a verbal agreement. I am grateful that I grew up in a different time and, though an old person, am not too old to learn that this is considered, even by some of my contemporaries, acceptable business practice. To me, how sad; to others, business as usual, I guess.
I reiterate again that this was the third self-storage unit I made the request of this charitable donation that can be written off as exactly this: a charitable donation. I have no problem with the first two that said apologetically that they simply could not do it. I had a major problem with one that made whatever one wants to call it—a promise, a commitment, an offer, an agreement—and then reneges in an untimely manner—more than a week later.
I was accused of lacking diplomacy and patience. In my dealings with this company, how was I undiplomatic? I did everything I was asked to do. I waited more than a week before I finally received the courtesy of a phone call in response to many messages that the offer of the unit was withdrawn. How does waiting over a week during which time vehicles were largely unusable make me impatient? I will not sit in judgment of some posters who sat in judgment of me, and again I express my thanks to posters with values like mine who saw the point I was making without smoke-screening it with tangential, unrelated issues.
In the one and only response to my “BRAVO” thread about our gratitude to Oxford Self-Storage, the poster had the following as part of his or her signature: a quote from Robert W. Service: “A promise made is a debt unpaid.” Evidently so many people—even my contemporaries—think little of the meaning of this quote or might even scoff at it. Also sad to me.
My reason for this thread was to share my experience, not to convince anyone of anything or change anyone’s minds or attitudes. Anything beyond this is beating a dead horse….
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