Whatever Happened to Customer Service?

Posted on Fri 13th Apr, 2018 @ 8:44pm by Captain Ranulf MacBain

1,348 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Brushfires
Location: Deck 635, Scent of Love
Timeline: MD 5, 0730

As she neared her shop, Flavia was humming. The five older children were in school, and Marcus was taking the youngest, Terminus, to ride a barge on the river this morning. She had the morning to herself - with whatever customers came in, of course - and time before opening to rearrange some displays in the gallery and home dec part of the shop. She and Marcus and her eldest, Herodia, had made enough bouquets last night to get through most of the day. Everything was great in her world. Until she arrived at the shop, of course.

A large wooden crate blocked the entrance to Scent of Love. She tried to squeeze by on one side and then the other, but she couldn't get past it, slender as she was. Searching for a shipping label, to be sure the box was hers, she found that indeed, it was. There were several special order paintings she'd expected, and this seemed to be the delivery.

"Why on earth would you dump it right in front of the door?" she complained as she kicked it with her foot. That only succeeded in bruising her toes, as she had forgotten she'd worn sandals today. "Ohhh ... poppycock and butternut tails!" she exclaimed, leaning against the box and rubbing the offended toes.

Ranulf was up early and running before he had to report in. He had picked this deck at random and was using his run to find places of interest to visit later. He saw a woman in front of a floral shop kick a rather large crate. After the kick, she hopped on the other foot as she held the now sore foot. He could see she was wearing sandals and winced, that had to have hurt. He angled toward her and stopped short just in case she misinterpreted his approach. He was in sweats and might appear a nefarious fellow! Walking forward toward her he spoke, "Excuse me Ms. Is there a problem with the crate? I would be happy to assist you. My name is Ranulf MacBain, and I am a newly arrived marine here on the base."

For a moment, Flavia looked doubtful. She slowly lowered her still throbbing foot to the floor as she looked him over. "Flavia Smith. Welcome to Vanguard," she said. "There's very definitely a problem with the crate. I can't get past it, and I can't move it out of the way. My husband is taking our youngest on an adventure this morning, and I don't want to call him to fix this."

She eyed the crate and the door. "I'd really rather not try to open it here in the middle of everything, and with only a nail file, but it's never going through that door. Maybe we can move it off to the side enough for me to at least enter and get better tools for uncrating the contents."

Ranulf had already noted as he approached that the crate was not going to fit through the door. He nodded his head at her assessment. He stepped to the crate and positioned his feet then lifted with his legs. It was not so bad and came off the floor where he had it. He took two steps and the door was clear. He lowered it gently so as not to break anything inside.

"I do not have to be anywhere soon. If you get the tools, I can open the crate for you." He tilted his head. "Besides, having a friend who owns a flower shop might be right handy for a single guy new to the base. Some advice on the proper flower for the right occasion would be very helpful." His smile was friendly as he laughed, "So you see, you would be doing me a favor by letting me help."

The florist laughed with him, deciding she liked him. "You have come to the right place. We know the language of flowers here. Even my 13-year old daughter knows it. Alright, you talked me into it. Wait right here." She used her thumb to unlock the door code and strode into the back where she kept her tools, and most other useful things. In a short time, she was back at the entrance.

"Here you go. Do a good job, while I tell you where a lovely and available young lady may be found," she winked at him.

"Really? Now that is a bonus I never expected." He laughed as he went to work removing one side of the crate. It was not hard but he took his time, not wanting to risk breaking anything. "These seem to be picture frames. I think I can carry two at a time safely. Where do you want them?" Ranulf took two from the crate as he spoke. "Once we get the crate empty, I can take off the two ends, and it will be flat enough to put about anywhere."

"Follow me," Flavia said. She led him to the left side of the store where Marcus had built a nice gallery arrangement for her. "Just lean them against the side of that empty wall. I'll install them in a bit." She waited as he went back twice more to empty the crate.

"Thanks, that's a big help. Now, payment for your help, much better customer service than the delivery staff." She led him to her check-out counter, where she had a digital map of the promenade levels.

"Here's where we are, on deck 635. The turbolift is right up here," she pointed to the red square on the map, then flipped to deck 600. "Here's where it comes out 35 decks away. If you follow this corridor," her finger traced a line, "you'll wind up right here, in front of Orchids & Jazz. There's a lovely young woman there, a server named Jenna Clark."

Putting down the map PADD, she told him, "You're a Marine, so you know good manners, and that's what's required in Orchids & Jazz. Nice civvies or your regular uniform are fine. You'll feel the calm atmosphere as you enter, and the music is jazz from the first half of the 20th century. There are various live groups playing from noon until midnight, and if you're lucky, someday you'll get to hear the owner, Jade Lantz, play the saxophone. That's quite a treat, but right time, right place sort of thing. Remember to look for Jenna. Oh, and the doorman, Velasquez. He's more like a big brother than a friend." She looked at him expectantly, though she hadn't asked a question.

"Best behavior, the doorman is a nice guy if you let him be, and a young lady named Jenna Clark might be inclined to like tall marines? I think I have all that." He smiled, his expression friendly. He had an honest face, which revealed he was unlikely to be spending a lot of time at a jazz club. Pointing to the crate, "Say, where do you want me to drop that crate so your customers can get inside your shop?" Ranulf started toward the door. "If I do meet someone, I might just be back for advice on flowers."

"Bring it into the back, please. You are welcome here any time. I'll give you a real deal on your first bouquet ... and if flowers are a thing you give every girl you meet, maybe we can work out a volume discount," she laughed.

"I will keep that in mind as well." Ranulf hoisted the crate busted down into six pieces and carried it to the back of the store. He came straight back out,
looking over the items in the shop. He stopped by the door. "Was nice meeting you Mrs. Smith, I will be sure to be back to buy flowers as often as possible." He waved as he walked out the front door. He looked to both sides getting his bearings, making sure he could find this place again. Once sure he knew where this was, he jogged away in the direction he had been running.

 

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