Is this how to run an agency?
I recently had the following experience with VE. In response to an e-mail from them advising who would be on the upcoming Vancouver trip, I wrote to book a certain lady at a particular time if she was available. The reply I received indicated that she was indeed available at that time and asked if I wanted to book her. As I had already made this clear in my original message, I thought this rather strange, but nevertheless I wrote back, "Yes, please book the appointment". That should have completed the transaction, right?
Not with VE. About two days later, I received another e-mail from Luscious advising me that she was sorry but the lady was booked at the time I requested. Another time was offered. By way of justification, I was told that the agency operates on a "first come, first served" basis. I was not amused and wrote back pointing out that I had clearly stated in my initial message that I had wanted to book that time and couldn't understand how that didn't put me on a "first come" basis.
A somewhat testy message followed telling me that "everyone gets the same treatment" and that e-mail appointments are not booked until confirmed. She went on to tell me that someone else had booked the lady before I did so I wasn't "first come". I was again offered the substitute time but urged to do so quickly because "two other people were being kept waiting" for the time that she was saving for me.
I had made other commitments for later that evening relying on our previous exchanges, and so advised VE in declining the offer. More importantly, to me this agency's practices are both unprofessional and disrespectful. Double booking, in my view, is completely unacceptable. Offering the same appointment to more than one person on a first reply basis is no better. If a client is asked to confirm an appointment and does so on a timely basis, surely he has a right to expect the agency to honour that arrangement. As to, "everyone gets the same treatment", that is of little consolation if the treatment is unprofessional or unfair.
I might add that I booked this appointment despite another recent experience with this agency in Victoria. I had booked a one hour outcall and the lady arrived over fifteen minutes late. That in itself didn't bother me. She immediately checked in with the agency so they knew when she arrived. The lady's cell phone rang with "the call" less than forty five minutes later.
I recently had the following experience with VE. In response to an e-mail from them advising who would be on the upcoming Vancouver trip, I wrote to book a certain lady at a particular time if she was available. The reply I received indicated that she was indeed available at that time and asked if I wanted to book her. As I had already made this clear in my original message, I thought this rather strange, but nevertheless I wrote back, "Yes, please book the appointment". That should have completed the transaction, right?
Not with VE. About two days later, I received another e-mail from Luscious advising me that she was sorry but the lady was booked at the time I requested. Another time was offered. By way of justification, I was told that the agency operates on a "first come, first served" basis. I was not amused and wrote back pointing out that I had clearly stated in my initial message that I had wanted to book that time and couldn't understand how that didn't put me on a "first come" basis.
A somewhat testy message followed telling me that "everyone gets the same treatment" and that e-mail appointments are not booked until confirmed. She went on to tell me that someone else had booked the lady before I did so I wasn't "first come". I was again offered the substitute time but urged to do so quickly because "two other people were being kept waiting" for the time that she was saving for me.
I had made other commitments for later that evening relying on our previous exchanges, and so advised VE in declining the offer. More importantly, to me this agency's practices are both unprofessional and disrespectful. Double booking, in my view, is completely unacceptable. Offering the same appointment to more than one person on a first reply basis is no better. If a client is asked to confirm an appointment and does so on a timely basis, surely he has a right to expect the agency to honour that arrangement. As to, "everyone gets the same treatment", that is of little consolation if the treatment is unprofessional or unfair.
I might add that I booked this appointment despite another recent experience with this agency in Victoria. I had booked a one hour outcall and the lady arrived over fifteen minutes late. That in itself didn't bother me. She immediately checked in with the agency so they knew when she arrived. The lady's cell phone rang with "the call" less than forty five minutes later.
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