The Bad the Good and the Far Far Away.

Been a busy week for me at work and at home and you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve finally found some poor service on the Isle of Man.

The local chip shop in Port Erin, where I’m living now Port Erin not the chip shop, does reasonable fare at only slightly extortionate prices but the service wow !

I went in this week, for the last time, and tried to order 2 Cod and chips, not a hard task in a chippy you’d have thought, sadly in this chippy you would be wrong.

I approached the counter and said with a smile on my face to the girl in the dirty polo shirt behind it, “2 cod and 1 large chips please” nothing.

I tried again “2 cod and 1 large chips please” still nothing, she looked at me with that vacant stare only the teenager can truly master.

I moved along the counter and tried again with the next scruffy looking counter girl, “2 cod and 1 large chips please” at last something happened, she sniffed.

My smile was beginning to slip at this point as you can imagine, had my wife not expressed a particular desire for Fish and Chips I’d have walked out, “2 cod and 1 large chips please !”

“That’llbe£8.95please” she mumbled at me.

I duly handed over the last money they will see from me or anyone I can influence and waited, and waited, and waited.

At last the scruffy looking Fryer finished frying my fish and the counter girl proceeded to wrap it for me, “syouwantsaltnvingeronthchips?” she mumbled.

“Yes please” I boomed with my broadest most annoying smile on my face.

She deigned to hand me the fish and chips in two packages, with no bag, I thanked her grinning aggravatingly and left.

Now despite appearances I don’t eat a lot of fish and chips, I guess once a month or so when my wife fancies it but at nearly £9 a shot that works out at £108 pa, if I stay here till I retire that’s a potential £2592 not accounting for inflation, if you factor in how many people I will tell about it between now and my retirement and who will consequently not buy there you could be talking more than £50,000 in lost revenue and that’s if I don’t start writing for the Manx papers and spread the news even wider.

I do hope they enjoyed their little bit of truculence.

On the plus side this week I encountered a tailor in Douglas (capital of the Isle of Man) who was the essence of excellent customer service.

I’d popped in to buy a new pair of work trousers and was directed downstairs to the gentleman’s fitting area.

The salesman immediately came round from behind his counter to serve me, “Good afternoon sir how may I help?”

I explained what I was looking for and casting his expert eye across me he handed me a pair of black trousers 52” waist short leg, pretty good considering I take a 50” waist.

I asked for the next size down, he told me that he didn’t have any short legs in size 50” but if I’d try on a pair of medium length he would alter them for me.

I tried them on and they fitted around the waist perfectly but were a tad long in the leg, he duly pinned them up for me and told me they would be ready on Wednesday.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” he asked and when I said no he took me to the till to pay, “there’s nothing to pay on the alteration so that’s just £30.00” he said.

I was amazed, free alteration on a pair of trousers worth £30, actually they are worth more than that, the quality of material and workmanship is excellent.

I paid and he escorted me to the door, “See you on Wednesday” he said smiling and I left with that good old warm feeling I’ve come to expect over here.

Work this week has been full of triumph and disaster in equal amounts and I won’t bore you with the details except to tell you about some third party developers I’m working with.

I am producing two sites for the far east, one for Korea and one for Japan, I sent the two web agencies, in the respective countries, exactly the same files, a complete copy of the uk site with instructions to convert it to the appropriate languages.

The Korean agency have finished, the Japanese agency have barely started, I’ve been working with the Korean agency to get it right, the Japanese agency has ignored me and simply keeps requesting the same information over and over again.

I am forced to wonder whether we have a.) selected the wrong Japanese agency or b.) is this a cultural difference?

I’ve always been very impressed with the Japanese people’s work ethic but I find it no surprise that Korea are overtaking them based upon this experience.

I’ll let you know how my little experiment in cultural differences goes.

Well fastyr mie (good afternoon), as they say around here.

Take care,

John