Life, and the business of saying “I’m sorry”

Whew! What a crazy start to the new year. My last post was 20 days ago, nearly a month, well over two weeks. In summary, it is unacceptable. So, where have I been? Saturday, January 9, my husband and I came home to find our apartment and much of our belongings drenched in freezing cold, gross, rusty water. A sprinkler line in the attic of the apartment above us burst, setting off a series of catastrophic events for us and our neighbors (plus other tenants in other buildings who received the same belated holiday gift).

The past 20 days have been a stressful whirlwind of dealing with our apartment complex which accepted no blame, citing “natural disaster,” and assured us the water damage would be addressed properly (in short, it wasn’t: can we say mold?) and fighting with our renters insurance (Allstate). I’ve quickly learned about poor, unacceptable customer service issues (Univesco, Inc., I’m talking to you) and will be writing posts in the coming weeks to discuss all things customer service. Working in PR, I’ve learned that it’s okay to say “I’m sorry.” I think that should be the Silver Rule. After all, you can’t replace the Golden Rule, but “It’s okay to say I’m sorry” should definitely rank up there. Those in the business of law may argue that it means you’re accepting blame and thus could be held liable, but I find that a simple “I’m sorry” could go a long way toward repairing relationships. Bump into someone at the store? “I’m sorry!” Hear a sad tale from your coworker? “I’m sorry this is happening to you.” Your company screwed up and made a mistake? “Oops, we goofed, and we’re sorry.” I’m shocked at the lack of compassion we (all of us affected tenants) are receiving, because it’s the absolute least amount of effort that could be made to repair the hurt feelings. Would you agree?

Okay, enough about me! What have YOU been dealing with this January? If it’s a sad tale, I’m sorry. And if it’s a happy one? Hooray!