My favorite coffee shop, Catalina Coffee, has been under something of an unintended PR attack (mostly from ignorant pile-on comments to Sean's [by definition] one-sided account). The lesson here: nothing is as one-sided or as simple as it might seem. The other lesson: people are asymptotic to fickle.
I was glad to see Max respond, and I think his response was right on the money. I can't say I know Max well, but I've spent enough time in Catalina and in talking to him that I think I know him well enough to at least give him the benefit of the doubt on something like this. It's unfortunate that people are so willing to damage someone's reputation and business without any balanced information and with no context whatsoever.
I can't fault Sean for blogging about the issue, I've definitely done that myself from time to time. But since the issue here was really about sensitivity to people's needs after Ike, why are commenters so willing to dispense with that sensitivity at the first opportunity? Even if Sean's account was impartial, is it better to damage a local business doing great things, or to let it go and be sensitive to the context and the post-hurricane situation?
Seems like we could apply our great demands for "customer" sensitivity a little more broadly, rather than being content with hypocrisy. Nokia (my employer) likes to point out that even as individuals we have "customers", like our peers, our boss, etc. If you want great customer service, try treating those serving you as your customers.
Anyway... enough of that... I'm drinking Max's El Salvador Peaberry (brewed in the Chemex) this morning and it's fantastic. I'm excited about his roasting, this one seems right on the money. Thanks to Max for his efforts post-Ike, and for his continued commitment to quality coffee and customer service.
<whine>Can't we all just get along?</whine> :)
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