I’m writing this on National Get Over It Day, which really should be every day, and it feels like a fitting time to share something I recently learned.
A local restaurant (the name of which I’m choosing not to reveal) did not complete a takeout order correctly. It’s not the first time the service there has disappointed me. (You may ask why I still go there—I have my reasons, and a lot of the time I’m reasonably satisfied to make use of their options, so for now, I continue.)
This time, there was a receipt on the bag—a quality control slip where someone had actually checked off all the contents and signed off that everything was there. Yet it wasn’t. Frustrating, for sure.
An additional frustration was at myself. If I had taken a moment to check the order while still in the parking lot, I would have caught the mistake right away.
I vented to my husband, who completely understood my wanting to complain, but also wisely suggested that I either deal with the local management or call corporate, but not both.
It wasn’t convenient to go back that morning, but that evening we stopped in. So I decided to try the local route.
I spoke with an employee who brought over a manager. She expressed sorrow and mentioned something about a refund, and she also gave me the replacement item plus one bonus item. But the conversation didn’t feel very clear. It wasn’t really a stop-and-engage-with-me moment—more of a take-care-of-it-on-the-fly response. So I still left somewhat unsatisfied, due both to a lack of clarity (was I getting a refund or was the replacement item taking care of it? I left feeling that what they did was not as generous as what corporate had done in the past.
And there’s part of the rub. I like free things, especially if I’ve been inconvenienced. Yes, a free pastry was nice, but it felt a bit “less than” the generous acknowledgments I’d received before. I was tempted to go ahead and call corporate anyway.
But then I sensed a gentle prod in my spirit: Let it go.
-I was reminded that the attendant is often very kind to me when I go there to eat
-the company has generously made up for past mistakes
-I did get the item I needed, plus a free treat.
-I didn’t know what was going on that morning that may have influenced the mistake.
So I got over it.
The next day there was an email from corporate. It turns out my entire order was being refunded to my card. So that manager on the move—not even the one on duty when the error occurred—took the time to make sure my whole order was refunded, in addition to what she did on the spot, even without taking a copy of the receipt. She followed through.
Humbling.
I’m grateful I listened to that “still, small voice” and got over it, letting go of what was, quite frankly, greed. The right point was made—I don’t regret speaking up—but I also learned that I don’t always have to look out for my own interests, or hope to get more out of a situation than I really need to.
So while I may still feel weary of poor customer service and short tempers in our world, I hope that by listening to that prompting to let it go, I helped leave just a little less negativity lingering in a small situation in my town.