A trip to Antwerp.
A city in Belgium.
Easy to reach with comfortable high speed trains.
In an hour and a half one can travel from Amsterdam to Antwerp.
The train even has WIFI.
And good coffee too.
The reason for the trip was to meet the publisher of the book "Sequences: the ultimate selection".
He and his wife live in a monumental house in the centre of Antwerp.
They also run a fine art photography gallery called "Galerie Baudelaire".
Showing very exclusive works of progressive and avant-garde artist photographers.
The welcome that was offered by the publisher was in the living room.
A bottle of cold champagne was opened to celebrate seeing each other again.
A reunion that was of warmth and friendship because the close relationship exists for over thirty years.
Based on mutual respect, appreciation and admiration.
That resulted in many books published.
Soon after the champagne there was a lunch in a nearby top restaurant.
Excellent food in a beautiful locale served by a stunning waitress from the Ukraine.
And of course a bottle of good French red wine was opened.
Until then no business was discussed.
Just personal stories that were entertaining.
Reporting on the latest developments in the personal life.
Only much later, returned to the house, the necessary aspects of the different enterprises performed together by the publisher and the photographer came up.
Quick, correct, in agreement and efficient.
Yesterday was also a lunch with a long time friend.
She owns and manages a company that organizes big events.
An extraordinary woman of great beauty.
The friendship flourishes for over twenty years.
It was the same pattern although the drinks were mint tea and orange juice.
Long conversations about the private lives.
Telling the most delicate details.
Confiding, trusting and sharing.
Only during the last part of the lunch business was discussed.
Things quickly put on their way.
We all know we live in a world that can be rough, impersonal and unromantic.
Especially in business one can have a hard time.
Because most people doing business have only one thing in mind: how to make the most money.
No matter how.
No matter the other person.
But there are exceptions.
Persons that have an incredible integrity.
Who have other norms and values higher than just making money.
Who have respect and honesty.
Who are islands in a rough sea.
Living on champagne and mint tea.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To learn more about Galerie Baudelaire, click on:
http://www.galeriebaudelaire.be/
To learn more about event organizer "Caos", click on:
http://www.caos.nl/
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Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Advantage and disadvantage
Public transportation in California, USA is such that one needs to rent a car to get around.
For example, to go from Los Angeles to a town like Temecula, that is located in between Los Angeles and San Diego, only the private Greyhound buses are the option as a form of public transportation.
But they go that infrequently that to think to go by bus to Temecula from Los Angeles is unrealistic.
To this comes that hardly any trains are available in most regions of California, USA.
Renting a car is easy and not expensive.
Within a few minutes a good deal can be made through websites like Orbitz.
Where one can compare prices easily and book the best deal.
The rental car company called "Advantage" offered a Ford Focus for $ 13.97 a day with all miles free.
The best price of all rental car companies on the internet and therefore they got the business.
But once in the office of "Advantage" near Los Angeles International Airport there was a strange surprise.
The Ford Focus was there indeed.
And the price was $ 13.97 also.
But the person working at the "Advantage"-office near Los Angeles International Airport
informed that the Ford Focus was equipped with Sirius Satellite Radio.
And that this would cost $ 5 a day extra.
Obviously the answer was that no Sirius Satellite Radio was needed.
The Ford Focus also had a regular radio with FM and AM, so why spent $ 5 a day for something that was not of any use?
An amount that increased the daily rate for renting the car with 35 %.
While it is known that a subscription to Sirius Satellite Radio is costing only $ 15 a month.
But the person working at the "Advantage"-office near Los Angeles International Airport
explained that there was no option but to take the car and pay the 35 % extra.
In spite of the agreement as was made through Orbitz.
Obviously this is a sneaky way of "Advantage" to make extra money.
If they rent the car for 30 days a month, they make $ 150 minus $ 15 is $ 135 extra.
Denying any preference of the customer.
The person working at the "Advantage"-office near Los Angeles International Airport
said that he could do nothing about it.
That the "Advantage" Customer Service needed to be called to complain.
And that sometimes they would deduct the costs of the Sirius Satellite Radio from the customer's invoice charged to the credit card.
So why not call the Customer Relations of "Advantage" rent a car?
A toll free number.
The effort was made during half an hour.
And the caller was getting nowhere.
Because a real person is only available to talk to at "Advantage" rent a car in case one wants to make a reservation.
But for all other matters a computerized voice explains other choices of connections that all end up saying that the customer has to call the office where the car was rented.
While the people at the office where the car was rented suggest to call the Customer Relations.
In that way a full circle is made: the customer simply can't complain.
It is not about the money of course in this story.
But it is about how a company is doing business.
How customers are squeezed out of their money indecently.
Not much money, but enough to remain with a bad feeling and the promise never to rent a car anymore from "Advantage".
.
For example, to go from Los Angeles to a town like Temecula, that is located in between Los Angeles and San Diego, only the private Greyhound buses are the option as a form of public transportation.
But they go that infrequently that to think to go by bus to Temecula from Los Angeles is unrealistic.
To this comes that hardly any trains are available in most regions of California, USA.
Renting a car is easy and not expensive.
Within a few minutes a good deal can be made through websites like Orbitz.
Where one can compare prices easily and book the best deal.
The rental car company called "Advantage" offered a Ford Focus for $ 13.97 a day with all miles free.
The best price of all rental car companies on the internet and therefore they got the business.
But once in the office of "Advantage" near Los Angeles International Airport there was a strange surprise.
The Ford Focus was there indeed.
And the price was $ 13.97 also.
But the person working at the "Advantage"-office near Los Angeles International Airport
informed that the Ford Focus was equipped with Sirius Satellite Radio.
And that this would cost $ 5 a day extra.
Obviously the answer was that no Sirius Satellite Radio was needed.
The Ford Focus also had a regular radio with FM and AM, so why spent $ 5 a day for something that was not of any use?
An amount that increased the daily rate for renting the car with 35 %.
While it is known that a subscription to Sirius Satellite Radio is costing only $ 15 a month.
But the person working at the "Advantage"-office near Los Angeles International Airport
explained that there was no option but to take the car and pay the 35 % extra.
In spite of the agreement as was made through Orbitz.
Obviously this is a sneaky way of "Advantage" to make extra money.
If they rent the car for 30 days a month, they make $ 150 minus $ 15 is $ 135 extra.
Denying any preference of the customer.
The person working at the "Advantage"-office near Los Angeles International Airport
said that he could do nothing about it.
That the "Advantage" Customer Service needed to be called to complain.
And that sometimes they would deduct the costs of the Sirius Satellite Radio from the customer's invoice charged to the credit card.
So why not call the Customer Relations of "Advantage" rent a car?
A toll free number.
The effort was made during half an hour.
And the caller was getting nowhere.
Because a real person is only available to talk to at "Advantage" rent a car in case one wants to make a reservation.
But for all other matters a computerized voice explains other choices of connections that all end up saying that the customer has to call the office where the car was rented.
While the people at the office where the car was rented suggest to call the Customer Relations.
In that way a full circle is made: the customer simply can't complain.
It is not about the money of course in this story.
But it is about how a company is doing business.
How customers are squeezed out of their money indecently.
Not much money, but enough to remain with a bad feeling and the promise never to rent a car anymore from "Advantage".
.
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