A little history: I purchased a double spa date way back in July, thinking that I would gift the splendid occasion to my brother and sister in law for a fabulous Christmas retreat. However, my Groupon had an expiration date that I failed to notice, and to my chagrin, found it was only good for six months. That made the aforementioned brother and sister in law obligated to squeeze in a trip to Philadelphia (which, I’m sure they sorely wanted to do) but sadly they weren’t able to in the three weeks' heads up I gave them.
So, Phil and I decided that we would go.
I hired our ex-nanny [who got a better job, but misses my baby] for the day, naired Phil’s back, got some good rest and drank lots of water, and we were off for a spa date! I had Google-mapped everything, and we found the spa and parking without mishap. Almost too easy.
I should have known that something wasn’t going to go right.
As I signed in on the onerous sign-in sheet, the Front Desk Help asked for our names.
Me: “Phil and Abby Douglass, 11:45”
Pause.
*I finish signing names*
Pause.
*Over-done Euro wearing a lab coat, moves to the side and looks at the computer screen with the Front Desk Help*
Front Desk Help: “I don’t seem to have anything under that name. You said 11:45?”
Me: “Yes”
FDH: “Um. I don’t even seem to have you in the computer as a client.”
Me: “What? I called and made the appointment January 11th. For 11:45 today, because the Groupon expires today.”
FDH: “I know, that’s also why we’re booked solid. I don’t have anything. Where are you coming from?”
*steam starts seeping through my left ear*
Me: “South Jersey, it’s an hour.”
Euro in the lab coat: “Who name did you talk to?”
Me: “I didn’t catch it” [typically, and from now on, I do/will]
I knew that it was the FDH for sure, but how do you say, “it was a black girl”?
FDH: “I really don’t have anything today”.
Pause.
FDH: “I can have the manager call you, maybe we can arrange something else?”
Me: “You do that. We’re here as our anniversary gift to each other. We got a sitter for the day, and drove in for this. If there’s something we could do that would let us extend the Groupon, then we could have something work out.”
FDH: “Okay, thanks. Hey ma’am….[starts talking to another customer, obviously a regular]
We leave.
I opt to go shopping at the Cherry Hill mall, and end up getting a few things to make up for the botched date. A braised beef cannelloni and two loaves of bread at Maggiano’s and I’m in much better shape.
Poor Phil, he tolerates me so well. Dagnabit, though, he needed a massage.
That said, I do know that the spa was in the wrong, and I had given them not only the correct information, but I also made the appointment without using the Groupon perk of a free wax, just to save them the trouble of having to schedule that. Serves me right for being accommodating.
More to come…after I speak with the manager.
I should have just stayed home with this:
although time with her daddy was the BEST.
