The assortments of customers that the son had met at work, teaching HIS mother, a very important lesson on empathy here, translated…
My son works for the biggest travel agency in the country as a sales rep, his company has tours all over the world, and I had always been the advocate of traveling more, especially after I’d, retired, I’d, traveled around the world, but I’d not always, signed on with the tours of my son’s agency.
Sometimes, my son didn’t have enough sales, and he’d, complained to me, mentioned on how the customers lacked loyalty these days, how they’re, easily swayed, that although the rough measures of lowering the prices worked in attracting the customers, but, after the tourists returned, they’d, filed the complaints to the agencies, so why did they, sign on because it was, cheaper then? Then, he’d, glanced over at me, said, “I’m not talking about you, don’t assume!”, not talking about me, then, you must be, signaling AT me then! I’m a traveler, and the family of the employees, I’d known, how to select the tours, so I can have the deals, but, in the price wars, I’d, still, switched, to the enemies. For the sake of a couple of thousand dollars, I was, willing to, find another agent, signed on for the tours, by the smaller, unreputable agencies, and in the end, I was, forced, to buy a ton of stuff I’d not needed nor wanted, and, as I arrived home, I’d, had to, go and hide the stuff I bought, and yet, my son, he saw, right through me.
Once a friend came by, said that she had, signed on for the one-person tour to Switzerland, it’d caused over $160,000N.T., but before her trip, her husband was diagnosed with third stage of lung cancer, it was, shocking, she’d thought hard, and, told the travel agency she wasn’t in the mood to travel anymore, and the down payment of $50,000N.T. she already paid wasn’t, returned, she’d, taken it all in, and yet, the travel agency had, gone after her, for another $60,000N.T. for breaching her traveling contract………my friend told me, it was out of necessity, that she’d, canceled the trip, and why can’t these travel agents be more understanding? She got angered as she talked, and I got angered with her too, started, ranted with her on how the travel agencies lacked, the humanities.
After my friend left, my son blamed me, for not seeing BOTH sides, “she’d terminated her trip abruptly, the travel agencies had, already, PAID for the hotel, the airfare, and the tickets, do you want the travel agencies to all go, bankrupt?” “The contract was, written with black ink on white paper, there is, a penalty for the travelers who’d decided not to go at last minute!” “Turns out, mom, you too are, UNREASONABLE!”, my face turned red, I’d, mumbled, I know it, I know it, too well, but, seeing how angry my friend was, I didn’t know, how else, to make her feel better.
Not long thereafter, as a client of my son’s was about to fly off to South America, the day before the flight, he’d, passed out, and, the $300,000N.T. he’d already paid, was gone, but he’d told the agency, “I can’t go now, my health is most important, take care of it!”, he’d not started, cussing out, nor was he, trying, to get the travel agency to refund him, this sort of a behavior, it’d, moved my son, and, he’d, promised to get some of the funds back for him. He’d once see the customers, change flights last minute, when the airlines asked for the difference in payment, but the customers believed that it was, courtesy that the airlines just, changed the flights for them, refused to pay the difference, and in the middle of the nights, they’d, called up my son, and asked for his help, as his mother, I’d, felt, angered over his customers’ behaviors.
illustration from UDN.com
Because of the differences in perspectives, the two of us would often fight about our views on the matter, but, soon enough, the air would be, cleared, as a family of the employees, of course I’d wanted my son, to have good customers, so, I must, be a good, customer myself as well!
And so, there’s still, always, TWO sides to the story, the customers, and the agencies, and sometimes, the customers, are NOT right, and, do we, let them, have it their ways, because we want to keep their businesses, or, do we, not? That, would be the biggest dilemma, these workers in the travel agencies face these days!
Life, the Obstacle Course 