The Limo
Hank Frazee
President of IntroSource Consulting | Author of The Saturday Morning Post, Referral Upgrade, and Before We Say "Goodnight"
"A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough."
Bruce Lee
Way before Uber, the quickest way to the airport before sunrise was a limo. Of course, Super Shuttle was cheaper, but perhaps less reliable at 5:30 in the morning, when they might have to pick up others along the way. And I wasn’t going to ask my wife to drive me, as our kids were small and leaving them home alone wasn’t an option.
So, having an early flight to Chicago, I splurged and called a limo company. They promised to be on time and all the rest, and I was at the door when they drove up in a van, looking like it had won the most mileage contest at the phone company.
I got in, and the driver apologized for the van, as they were super busy, he said. No big deal, I thought, until he apologized again that the heater was broken. Did I mention that it was unseasonably cold outside? I also noticed that I could see outside without looking out the window, as there was a large crack in the floor revealing asphalt and wind whipping in as we drove along.
We made it there, and since I was more concerned with getting there on time than with how we got there, I didn’t think much more about it.
A week or so later, the limo company called and asked how I had enjoyed the ride. I told them, and it must have made an impression, because a few days later, the following letter arrived:
Dear Mr. Frazee,
I wanted to apologize for your pick-up on Sept. 14, 2005. A van was sent to you instead of a town car. That day we had a few in bound flights that were anywhere from an hour to two hours delayed. We did not want to take a chance of being late for your pick-up, so we called another reliable company to make the pick-up. We use them only for emergencies and us for them. We were unaware that they sent a van and made them aware of the mistake. Again we are sorry for any incontinence that this may have caused you.
Sincerely,
Management
I thought I had been pretty understanding, but perhaps not?
-Hank
"The Limo," from The Saturday Morning Post at hankfrazee.com