Some Wineries Get It...and Some Are Clueless/Rant #271

Customer relations, that is.

Last week, out of the blue, arrived this magnum of the
new Massican annia '17. Huh?? I didn't order this! Turns out it was a gift for my long-time support of Massican wines (followed 'em from the very start, I did). A very nice and thoughtful gesture. Dan Petroski gets it, clearly.

My two cases of Cedarville arrived last week. On the invoice was a hand-written note thanking me for my support over the yrs. Susan & Jonathan get it, clearly.

My case of Harrington arrived several weeks ago. On the invoice was a hand-written note thanking me for my order and asking me to let him know my take on the wines. Bryan gets it, clearly.

Tom

Well, since you’re in pot-stirring mode, I’ll add my spoon. If I were Dan, Susan, Jonathan, or Bryan, I’d be pretty annoyed at having my thoughtful gesture incorporated into a rant about the “cluelessness” of other wineries. The thing about small acts of friendship and generosity like these is that they’re not something anyone is supposed to be able to expect or demand, in the way you can expect or demand payment of an invoice or the delivery of goods purchased. And even if one suspects that someone did these things out of good business sense as well as personal affection or genuine gratitude (it can certainly be both), I’d have thought it bad manners to put so much emphasis in public on the former rather than the latter. When your favorite bartender comps a round of drinks, or when a restaurateur sends over a free dish, do you loudly announce to the whole establishment “now THIS guy knows how to do business?” Or do you say “thanks” and act surprised, even if you aren’t?