I Can't Even

I Can't Even...

by, 

Sara 'Zarine' Jessop

… Cancellations

I have an important issue to talk about this week. We all know that I work in a service industry. As part of that,we at Alchimia Lupinaar allow you plebs to make appointments in advance. This way you get the person, time, and service that you desire without a hassle. But ever since I opened I've had a persistent problem; People don't keep their scheduled engagements.

Now I am not talking about sending a missive and canceling weeks in advance. I'm talking about canceling when it's too late to book someone else in, or simply just not showing up. Sometimes I get a missive a day later telling me that they cannot keep their allotted time. And if that wasn't bad enough then they request to reschedule. So now they want to take up more of someone's time, which they may not even arrive for. If you dare to ask for a deposit for future appointments they get offended. 'It's just an appointment' they say. 

Well, let me explain something to you. My entertainers are not paid an hourly wage. They actually pay me a percent of their earnings and receive room, board, and protection. So by taking up their time and then not receiving a service you are effectively taking gold out of their pockets. They aren't just there to serve you, they are working and earning a living. They are people, just like you, who deserve to be treated with respect and courtesy. 

Now, I am not an unreasonable woman. I understand that sometimes there is an emergency, or you just plain forgot. But let me put it this way: Say you work at a forge making a decent enough living to pay your creditors and feed yourself and your family. Your boss comes out to you one afternoon and says “I don't have anything for you to do for the next two hours, but you can't go home, and I'm not going to pay you to be here”. Sounds terribly unfair doesn't it? Oh, and then he asks you to come in tomorrow on your day off and do what you were supposed to do today. Does that sound acceptable to you? No?

We don't want to hear your hour long apology full of lame excuses. We just want you to understand why it's not acceptable and preferably to stop doing it. And not just at my establishment, but everywhere. People's time is important to them, especially when that time is literally money. People who provide you with services are not beneath you (unless that is the service you are paying for, I suppose) and we are deserving of basic decency and respect. Henceforth at Alchimia Lupinaar I shall be requiring a deposit for all advance appointments. If that doesn't meet with your approval, then I suggest you find yourself a new medical provider.

See you next Tuesday.

Zarine is the proprietor and Madam at Alchimia Lupanar, a magic marshal approved practitioner of medicine, an award winning author, and has 36 years of experience in giving her unsolicited opinion.