arking Linda

ome time ago Baron Von Lodge was the head of a small country near Switzerland known as Lilliland.

When people visited Lilliland they usually stayed at the Lilliland Hotel because of the care and comfort that the staff offered to them. The tourists came for a ski holiday, hiking on the mountain trails, ice-skating on Lilliland Lake, horseback riding on the many bridal trails, and much more.

It was important for the general economy of Lilliland that the visitors went away as satisfied customers and that they would tell their friends of the good time that they spent in Lilliland. Lilliland wanted visitors and tourists to come back again and again. That was just good business.

When there was a complaint, the Baron and his chief advisor, Professor Hamblin, wanted to know about it. One such small complaint that arrived on the Professor’s desk more than once was that involving a small laundry and tailor shop in the center of town.

It seemed that customers who had work done there often had to bring it back for one reason or another, a stain that was not there when the garment was first brought in, or a seam that was pulled open by shop carelessness.

The Professor mentioned the problem to the Baron, who asked if Lady Angela of Alpine Castle had ever sent any of her clothing to that shop. Lady Angela said that she had sent her maid to have some garments cared for but found that Linda, the manager, did not want to handle any of the complaints, instead dismissing the complaint by laying that the garment was that way when it was first brought into the shop. Or that the open seam was due to poor training of workers where the garment was first purchased. Then Linda would start to bark at the customer. It was more like a low growl at first, but if the customer continued to complain, the low growl became a loud bark.

The Baron called in the owner of the shop and told him of the complaint against Barking Linda. “Didn’t you ever hear of the slogan in business that ‘The customer is always right’? Even if the customer might be wrong, fix the problem anyway.

“I do not want the entire reputation of Lilliland to rest on a soiled garment or ripped seam. Just fix it and be very nice about it. No more barking at our visitors.

“If this matter cannot be settled very peacefully and quickly, your license to do business in Lilliland will be reviewed very carefully when it comes up for review every year.”

The problem was solved at once.