So yesterday I answer the phone at work and an angry italian lady is SCREAMING angry! No one can be as angry as a screaming italian lady....
She asks for an employee who hasnt worked with us since august and gets even madder when I inform her shes left, we have an event co-ordinator who does all of our fundraising drives etc. The last EC was at the gallery for 8 years, the new one has been here for 4 months..barely! So alot of the supporters dont know the new EC.
Now at our gallery, we have sponsors who donate money/art etc and depending on the level of support, they get certain benefits. This lady donates around 10 grand a year and has for a good part of the last decade. So shes pretty well up there on the VIP list. One lady has donated so much she has her own art studio at the gallery... and they get special mailouts kissing arse, oh thank you thank you thank you etc.
Back to the story....WADDA MEAN SHES LEFT!!!!!!!!!
then... I got the giggles, it was funny, she was just so....
I dont know....angry and yet comical at the same time? I bit my tounge and managed to get her on hold and raced off to get help! (im just the entry level brand new clerk remember!)
Well apprently she wasnt thanked in the newsletter for the latest fundraising efforts and she was MAD
Anyway so I pass it off and up the chain she goes, assistant gallery attendant, executives assistant, event organiser, administrative executive and then finally a confrence call with the executive director.
I was in the room but instructed to be silent (only the two big bosses were allowed to talk), they wanted me as a witness I suppose, the other people were there as well. So shes ranting on and on, about how she wasnt thanked and how this is the 8th year shes donated art work and 10 grand and she will never support us again and HOW DARE WE. Julia and Gwen (the two big bosses) are apologuising profusely, really in damage control mode....
(cue climax music) They are frantically searching through the mail out....and on page 36 there is a fold out portion...on the fold out portion....guess who got a full page thank you from the gallery....
she hadnt noticed the fold out portion
so Gwen points this out....and the line goes silent
silence...silence...silence...were all looking at each other with our jaws on the floor and then she starts back peddling like crazy, saying what a great job we do and well done and shes so proud to be part of the gallery
it was just one of those... I cant believe this moments
But I could just imagine how she must have felt on the end of that phone line
rightious indignation....woosh to utter humilation
She asks for an employee who hasnt worked with us since august and gets even madder when I inform her shes left, we have an event co-ordinator who does all of our fundraising drives etc. The last EC was at the gallery for 8 years, the new one has been here for 4 months..barely! So alot of the supporters dont know the new EC.
Now at our gallery, we have sponsors who donate money/art etc and depending on the level of support, they get certain benefits. This lady donates around 10 grand a year and has for a good part of the last decade. So shes pretty well up there on the VIP list. One lady has donated so much she has her own art studio at the gallery... and they get special mailouts kissing arse, oh thank you thank you thank you etc.
Back to the story....WADDA MEAN SHES LEFT!!!!!!!!!
then... I got the giggles, it was funny, she was just so....
I dont know....angry and yet comical at the same time? I bit my tounge and managed to get her on hold and raced off to get help! (im just the entry level brand new clerk remember!)
Well apprently she wasnt thanked in the newsletter for the latest fundraising efforts and she was MAD
Anyway so I pass it off and up the chain she goes, assistant gallery attendant, executives assistant, event organiser, administrative executive and then finally a confrence call with the executive director.
I was in the room but instructed to be silent (only the two big bosses were allowed to talk), they wanted me as a witness I suppose, the other people were there as well. So shes ranting on and on, about how she wasnt thanked and how this is the 8th year shes donated art work and 10 grand and she will never support us again and HOW DARE WE. Julia and Gwen (the two big bosses) are apologuising profusely, really in damage control mode....
(cue climax music) They are frantically searching through the mail out....and on page 36 there is a fold out portion...on the fold out portion....guess who got a full page thank you from the gallery....
she hadnt noticed the fold out portion
so Gwen points this out....and the line goes silent
silence...silence...silence...were all looking at each other with our jaws on the floor and then she starts back peddling like crazy, saying what a great job we do and well done and shes so proud to be part of the gallery
it was just one of those... I cant believe this moments
But I could just imagine how she must have felt on the end of that phone line
rightious indignation....woosh to utter humilation
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