[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….

[Bryan]

I think the point is "customer service", a concept apparently abandoned by far too many businesses today including, apparently, this particular one. All that Gracie said is true but common courtesy and "customer service" dictate timely communications of your changed decision or whatever to the other party. Don't be pulling a 'Halderman' and leave them hanging in the wind - exercise some good customer service.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Bryan

I think the point is "customer service", a concept apparently abandoned by far too many businesses today including, apparently, this particular one. All that Gracie said is true but common courtesy and "customer service" dictate timely communications of your changed decision or whatever to the other party. Don't be pulling a 'Halderman' and leave them hanging in the wind - exercise some good customer service.

I very much agree although I don't know what a "Halderman" is.

They were not very responsible or nice to not call the OP back, BUT.... if you are asking for something for nothing, you must keep that in mind..

And this world is a cruel one sometimes. AND businesses are deluged with requests for money, free services and products. I have been part of asking for those things for charities in the past. You have to have a tough hide and you must be a realist when you are asking for things for a "good cause". Businesses cannot give to everyone. AND they can choose WHO they give to. But that said, they should have had the decency and courtesy to call the OP back.

Just to try to help the OP again, here is a link to their charity.

http://mariontherapeuticridingassociation.org/

[HimandMe]

I agree with the poster that said the person did not have enough authority. With a new opening, there are probably a lot of things going on behind the scenes getting set up, not to mention being inexperienced in a new community. When did we start not allowing for human error and mishaps and giving some slack? Things happen and everyone has oversights and bad days. When did we become quick to blame and quick to destroy someone's credibility. Yes they did this...yes politely point it out. If there is a pattern, we will see it and make a decision but let's not tar and feather others right off the bat.

[graciegirl]

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….

When you are the person asking for a donation, you have the same responsibility for courtesy as the business. In my opinion, It would have been wiser, to publicly thank the people who gave you free space and just ignore the person who did not help you. It isn't just how the business presents itself, it is how the charity presents itself when it comes to image in the public eye.

Many of the businesses who may be candidates for future requests for help read this forum too. When you come hat in hand, it puts you in a different situation than a "paying" customer.

Or as I have heard so many times before;

For Free, Take.
For Buy, Complain.

[Lovey2]

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….

I took your original post exactly how you meant it, simply as a disappointment, and chose not to read anything into it or rip apart the wording you used. Perhaps you have learned several valuable lessons here...whatever everyone wanted you to learn about how as a charity you should not complain or expect simple consideration because you ARE a charity (I don't get that), and that by continuing to try to explain yourself you only fuel the flames on this forum. You have been judged, get over it and move on...you have nothing to prove on here to people sitting on their butts judging you while you are out working with your charity. All the unkind remarks trying to devalue your Christian morals, are just as un-Christian, and on any given day someone is raked over the coals on here. Know that you are doing something worthwhile, and leave the debating to the accusers. You did nothing to harm contributions to your charity, as suggested. Someone inclined to contribute still will. Anyone suggesting otherwise, was never going to anyway. Good luck!!

[CFrance]

I feel you used the forum for one of its intended purposes and am sorry you got raked over the coals so badly. I firmly believe in giving credit where credit is due, but I also see nothing wrong with letting it be known when a company/person/service provider does you a disservice, as this company obviously did. Why should it be left alone? You approached them in a professional manner, and they ultimately dealt with you unprofessionally.

Lots of companies pay attention to this forum. We had one company who did an excellent job for us but in the process wrecked something in our kitchen. I would never put that on the forum because they immediately took steps to make it right. They knew I was on the forum and thanked me for not saying anything. However, if they had not made the situation right, I would have said something. "Beware" to me simply means take care when dealing with XYZ.

You can say what you feel here, and others can take that into consideration when making their decisions about things. In my mind the term "It is what it is" was conceived by people too accepting of the way things are. One can effect change, and I see nothing wrong with making the attempt.

clunk, clunk, clunk. (That's the sound of me climbing off of my soap box.)

[Villager Joyce]

Originally Posted by Lovey2

I took your original post exactly how you meant it, simply as a disappointment, and chose not to read anything into it or rip apart the wording you used. Perhaps you have learned several valuable lessons here...whatever everyone wanted you to learn about how as a charity you should not complain or expect simple consideration because you ARE a charity (I don't get that), and that by continuing to try to explain yourself you only fuel the flames on this forum. You have been judged, get over it and move on...you have nothing to prove on here to people sitting on their butts judging you while you are out working with your charity. All the unkind remarks trying to devalue your Christian morals, are just as un-Christian, and on any given day someone is raked over the coals on here. Know that you are doing something worthwhile, and leave the debating to the accusers. You did nothing to harm contributions to your charity, as suggested. Someone inclined to contribute still will. Anyone suggesting otherwise, was never going to anyway. Good luck!!

Un-Christian? Did we read the same thread? I believe there was a miscommunication. That doesn't make it right but it was a miscommunication. I believe a commitment is a commitment and everything should be done to honor tbat commitment. At the same time, don't use your charitable organization as a means to believe you are entitled. On another thread a person wants to buy storage containers at a low price because it is for a charitable organization. I have come to the conclusion that Villagers are, per capita, among the most charitable -- time, treasures and talent.

[Lovey2]

"And revenge shaming by a "charity" is certainly not Christian."

Yes! the same thread...this is where I got that, and I never read that she felt she was entitled. She SAID (on the same thread) that several other storage facilities were unable to help. She didn't name them, berate them, or even mention them. Her issue was with the treatment after the fact, after the promise THEY made.
And, the other thread you speak of has nothing to do with this poor lady being raked over the coals.