My project manager/apartment designer sent me on a wild goose chase because he likes pretty things and I like money.
I left his office at 3:45pm. Partner & I walked the 20 minutes to the lighting showroom for our 4:45 appointment. It was hot. Partner was grumpy due to lack of food (an all-liquid diet will do that to you, especially if you make the mistake of giving away your protein shake). At 4:15pm, my designer texted to cancel: see, the showroom closes at 5pm, so what about a meeting on Thursday? I told him tomorrow (Wednesday) is good but Thursday is no good. See: we have an appointment with my designer’s boss on Thursday, and I really want the lighting nailed down before then. Partner has already designed a new lighting package, so this whole experience of look-at-this-new-lighting-package feels like a wild goose chase to me anyway. It’s all because my designer wants no visible flange around my lights, while I want 1.5% of a million-dollar farm upstate.
Having already walked to the showroom (and being an impish sort of fellow), I entered anyway. After a 5-minute wait, I spotted the same saleswoman who had previously helped me. I asked her about the 4:45pm meeting. She said there never had been a 4:45pm meeting.
Aha.
I asked her if she had designed the new lighting package that my designer mentioned. She said yes.
Me: “Could we schedule an appointment for tomorrow? Any time after 1pm.”
Saleswoman: “Sure: I’m wide open anytime from 1pm. And you’re my top priority.”
Me: “Could you send me the product list and spec sheets ahead of time so I can research them?”
Saleswoman: “We can only send it to your designer.”
Me: “That dramatically decreases the likelihood we will buy lights from you.”
Saleswoman: “Sorry, it’s store policy.”
When I shared this experience with Partner, she laughed and said wedding plans often have a password, to avoid e.g. the mother of the bride changing things.
“That’s fair enough,” I said. “But I’m the bride!”
I’ve heard it’s reasonably common in German culture for someone experiencing consumer anguish of this sort to say something like, “But I’m paying you money!” And maybe it’s my German genes, but that’s my natural response!
If you’re not going to share your information with me, I won’t give you my money! I already am disinterested in the fact that you charge $20k for something that I could nearly mimic for $7k. And now you’re not going to share MY INFORMATION with me? It’s like a HIPAA violation, but for lighting showrooms!
I emailed my designer. I started the conversation by requesting that he only tell me meetings are booked when they actually are booked. (Shots fired.)
It’s even more frustrating because I don’t mind the flange.
In reality, a small issue. The demolition on my apartment started yesterday, and is going swimmingly. The meeting with my designer and the owner of the contracting company went well. This is just one small drop in a sea of good news.
And anyway, not giving them my money is the best revenge.
Julian Wise 