There is a thin line between provocative blog topic and a rant… This post tip toes that line with the greatest of precision.

My most recent form of employment is as a Customer Care rep at reputable Valentine’s day capitalizing corporation… You could probably guess the company but that is quite irrelevant…

The point is I process request for people ordering Valentine’s day flowers for loved ones. And now that the holiday is over I take complaints from unsatisfied customers.

Aside from the various complaints, I found one common thing among the customers, about 90% of the customers preferred their money back as opposed to a replacement order of flowers. I’m dealing with customers who’s flowers didn’t arrive for whatever reason, or worse who’s flowers arrived dead (quite a horrible omen for a relationship).

Now these customers never opt to take a replacement order when I present the scenario of refund or replacement.

At first I found this reasonable but I begin to delve deaper while listening to their rationale. The most common one.. “Valentines’ day is over, it’s pointless now! Just give me my money back!”

In my head I’m thinking… Were you really placing all your eggs in one basket. Did this arbitrary day mark the cut off point as to when you can show a loved one appreciation or make them feel special? Do you now have to wait an entire calendar year now? Lol….

The irony of it all is quite disturbing. It seems like the day itself is being celebrated as opposed to the actual person. It’s about adhering to the proprieties of this day’s command. If you do not beckon to the call of the day, somehow you will be punished by the Day and her minions. How does one justify not giving your loved one their intended token of appreciation simply because minutes… hours.. days have passed…

“What’s the point?” (Oddly enough the caller always attempts to get me agree, as though my corroboration is enough to justify their neglect.)

Leads me to believe that you didn’t really appreciate the person in the first place… It was just the spirit of the festivities that provoked your action…And if that is your only inspiration for your actions… Perhaps your relationship is as dead as those flowers you so adamantly insisted ruined your valentine.

Just a thought….