I Just Work Here

My workcamper gig involves a dozen different activities, no two days are exactly alike. This is what I love best about the workamper lifestyle, especially when working for small businesses with fewer than a dozen employees.

For example, yesterday my day looked like this:

  1. Rene Paints Guest Ranch Chair Workamping at RanchLaunder linens and towels from the cabins
  2. Simultaneously answer the front desk phones
  3. Handle guest questions
  4. Make cabin, horseback ride and jeep reservations
  5. Check in and check out guests
  6. Run credit card transactions
  7. Mend miscellaneous cabin bedding
  8. Spruce up old porch chairs
  9. Water plants
  10. Clean office

The best part of my busy day was when I handled a tense situation from a jeep rental customer. She was irate because we had to charge her for a full day of jeep rental, even though she brought it back before noon.

I explained there was no way we could rent that jeep out so late in the day, and we were sorry that she had to return it early, but I had to follow procedures. She was furious and pitching a fit.

Unfortunately I was alone in the office. The ranch owners weren’t around for me to pass her off to, so I just said:

“Look, don’t be mad at me. This is our policy. I just work here. You can talk to the owners and see if they’ll do anything, but I won’t make any guarantees. I have to follow procedures when nobody’s around.”

It was odd to hear myself speaking those words. On the one hand I knew I sounded like a typical McJob worker bee, but on the other hand, after so many years of taking ultimate responsibility on those rare occasions when my own business failed at customer satisfaction, I found it incredibly freeing to say:

“I just work here.”

The workamper lifestyle definitely has it’s perks!

 

6 thoughts on “I Just Work Here”

  1. Rene,
    Given that she didn’t rent by the hour but rather by the day, it doesn’t matter
    when she returns the vehicle so long as it’s returned within the agreed upon
    time span. Rental policies need to be spelled out very clearly so “pitch a bitch” sessions can mostly be avoided.

    Or, you can do what I do with my customers, I start flinging feces like a mad howler monkey and barking like a pomeranian, this sort of counter-measure does much to deflect any heightened misperceptions or emotions.

    Just my advice, Enrico, fece flinging Enrico!

    Reply
  2. It’s all fine and dandy to give good service and all that, but unfortunately, the customer is NOT always right.
    A “day” can be five minutes or 24 hours.
    It doesn’t matter. Nor is it your place to decide. It’s not your business after all. (not, “non of your business”, but “not your business”)
    I’m sure if that customer rented a storage unit (for example) for a month, she’s not going to get some of her money back if she takes her stuff out after the first week.
    Seems simple enough to me. Is common sense really not that common any more?

    Reply
  3. “I just work here!” teehee!!! I can’t wait for my first workcamp gig.
    PS…I painted up quite a few of those sweet metal chairs – I just love them! ~cozygirl

    Reply

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