[legion]

My movers called me on Wednesday to tell me that they would be packing on Friday and loading/leaving on Saturday. This is a little bit of a problem because the original schedule had them packing on Friday and loading/leaving on Monday. Based on the original schedule, I had a U-Haul trailer reserved for pickup Monday.

So I go to the U-Haul store and try to see if I can get a trailer two days early. I am pleasant to the girl at the counter. Honestly, my expectation is that either the answer is "no" or I will be assessed a massive fee to make it happen.

A little history. Ten years ago, I first reserved a U-Haul truck in Mattoon, IL to move my fiance in with me. The girl manning the desk showed up 45 minutes late, visibly hung-over, and told me that the truck I reserved wasn't available. I ended up with a competitor. A few years later, similar problem, but I had to drive 1.5 hours from the store I reserved at to get a truck--and I got charged excess mileage because of the pickup. I think U-Haul's reservation system was implemented some time in the mid 1980's and has not been updated since.

So I had low expectations. Sure enough, no trailer was available at the store, or in town. They tried to make me a reservation for a trailer in Chanahon, but it got swiped out from underneath me. They found something in Decatur and reserved it for me, but asked me to call to confirm before leaving the store. I called the store in Decatur and was basically hung up on.

The girl behind the counter got mad. She called the corporate reservation number and made sure I had the trailer, then she called the regional supervisor directly to complain. She told me to drive to the store in Decatur and she would sort it out.

I get about half-way to Decatur and the manager of the Decatur store calls me. She is VERY apologetic. Apparently their reservation system (which I have reason to believe runs on a single Commodor Vic 20) says they have a trailer that is not on their lot. She promises that someone will call me to help me out. I decide to stop for breakfast in Clinton while this gets sorted out.

Sure enough, my phone rings 5 minutes later. It is the regional manager. He apologizes for the mixup and tells me that he has some options for me. After going over some options, I elect to pick up a trailer tomorrow in Champaign. He apologizes again and says that because I was promised a trailer and it wasn't there, they will cut my rental rate in half for my one-way drive to Georgia.

I understand that computer systems don't always work and get very frustrated when people refuse to (or aren't able to) correct unforeseen issues. In my case, what should happen is what did happen:

1) Someone took ownership of the issue. (In my case TWO people.)
2) That person suggested alternatives and found a solution that was acceptable to me.
3) I was offered something of real value so that I felt I walked away from the situation better off.

It infuriates me when organizations think that they can treat customers like cattle and refuse to recognize the shortcomings of their processes. (I'm looking at you Comcast, Bank of America, Computer Associates, and Illinois Tollway Authority, Illinois Department of Revenue, and Illinois Department of Motor Vehicles.) It's nice when one does the right thing.