Was it a Legitimate Request? Or Was I Being Pranked
Legitimate request, or prank? When you work in customer service, sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference.
As you probably know, I own and manage a small yachting business in Turkey. We do our best to go "above and beyond" for our customers. Want us to recreate your wedding meal for your 50th anniversary? No problem. Want us to customize a route that only stops in south facing bays? No problem. Interested in scuba lessons during your cruise? No problem. We do what it takes to make our guests happy. Usually...
A True Story
The conversation started as they all do, with casual chit chat and inquiries about availability for a certain set of dates, price, and services. "We'd like to charter the boat for a long-weekend," said the man. I checked the dates and confirmed that the boat was available.
"And do you have an itinerary in mind?" I asked.
"Yes, we'd like to go to Spain for the weekend," he replied.
"Spain?" I echoed, positive I had misheard. He nodded.
Thinking that he was simply mis-pronouncing a Turkish destination, I asked him to spell it. "S-P-A-I-N", he patiently replied, as if talking to a not-so-smart person.
"Spain? The country in Europe?" He nodded again.
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"The one between Portugal and France?" I asked incredulously.
He nodded vigorously.
"For the weekend?"
Head nod.
"On this boat?"
Nod.
Positive I was being pranked, I asked, "do you know that Spain is more than 3000 km from here?"
"But on the map, it's only this far" he replied, holding his fingers about 2 inches apart.
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Facepalm! I never heard from him again.
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