A Tale of Two... um, RV Parks

We ate up the miles today, across west Texas.  Reasonably uneventful, even though the wind really came up the last couple hundred miles.  Oh, and the miles per gallon went down.  It was a warm wind, out of the south/southeast, making it just forward of beam... and, it got hot.  We saw 91º on the truck thermometer as we got close to San Antonio.

There is an RV park that we frequently stay at, because it is handy to our route.  Each time we leave there, I say to myself, "Self, I need to find a different place.  Those people just aren't particularly friendly."  And then I forget about it.

Compare these two phone calls:

"Braunig Lake."

"Hi, this is Jim.  I was wondering if you have an RV site available for this evening for a Passport America member?"

"I don't know; we're pretty full.  What time will you be in?"

"Probably around 5:15 according to the GPS.  What time does your office close?"

"We close at 5:00.  Oh, I don't know.  We may not have anything left by then."

"Can I make a reservation?"

"We don't do reservations."

"Oh, new policy?  I have made reservations there in the past."

"Oh, I don't know.  We're really busy."

"Should I just come in and take my chances?  I can do an after hours registration if you have envelopes."

"Oh, I don't know.  We're really busy."

-----------------------------

Compare the above to this:

"Hidden Valley RV Park; this is Terri."

"Hi Terri, this is Jim.  I was wondering if you have an RV site available for this evening for a Passport America member?"

"We would love to have you visit us.  What size RV do you have?"

"Well, it's actually a boat, but it has the same amenities as an RV."

"That sounds fun.  How many nights do you need?"

"Just tonight."  ...

She took my name, got Joan's name, and our over-all length.  Of course, that is where we stayed.  The park isn't as big or fancy as the first one, and they are also nearly full.  She made the effort and was friendly.  I would rather give her my money.

When we arrived at the park, Terri came out to greet us.  As I got out of the truck to go register, she looked at the Blonde and said, "You must be Joan.  We're glad to have you here."

Before we retired, we used to do seminars for professional associations.  One of the popular topics was: Giving Great Customer Service.  The first place could use that training.

Frankly, we see a lot of businesses lacking in customer service these days; so much so, that we notice when we do get good service... it's almost like an unexpected pleasure.

Little Izzy slept most of the day... I hope that doesn't mean she will be up and moving about all night.  She spent some time on Joan's lap while on the road...

What a cutie... oh, and the cat is cute, too.

If all goes well, one more day on the road. :-)