BOOS & BOUQUETS: Bouquets for bicycle tour

I am the chief executive officer of the Jamaican American Association of Northern California, where we market Jamaica to our community. When I read your Boos & Bouquets in the July 18 issue, I could not wait to return home to give out some bouquets.

First, the Blue Mountain Bicycle Tour. Unbelievable service. What a pleasant surprise! Normally, you find chaos and people behaving like they don't want to be at work, but all the staff were polite, considerate, funny and they made me feel so proud.

I was in a group of about 50 tourists. My friends and I appeared to be the only Jamaicans.

One of my friends did not know how to ride a bicycle and was planning to stay behind and vegetate. They quickly volunteered to help her, claiming, "Yuh can't come Blue Mountain and nuh ride." They got a two-seater bicycle and my girlfriend ended up with the best seat in the house. It was absolutely one of the few tours I have been on where I did not feel robbed. It was well worth every penny I paid and the tip I left at the end.

The young woman Roshane took my reservation from Kingston and trusted me enough to book my reservation without a deposit. While her supervisor fixed that a day later by insisting on the deposit, just the thought of her using her judgement and spirit of discernment was refreshing. She heard how badly my friends and I wanted to go on the tour and trusted us to show up. By the way, the third Jamaican in my party lives in India now. She, too, now realised how much of her Jamaica she does not know and wanted to go on this trip.

Bus driver Derrick Clarke was absolutely great. He made the trip fun going and coming. He insisted on making sure that even though we were Jamaicans, he gave us the tourist treatment. He had my friends singing, guessing riddles and challenging our minds with word games. We loved him so much we hired him to drive us around the island days later.

Big up, Appleton Rum tour

My next bouquet goes to the Appleton Estate Rum tour. Another outstanding experience. Of course they offered enough rum to intoxicate you, but what a pleasant experience. Those people love their jobs.

The Glistening Waters boat pilots were very friendly, pleasant, funny. They showed care in making sure we enjoyed our swim and were safe doing it. Plus, what an interesting place. The water glistens at night.

BOOS ...

Digicel office at Norman Manley Airport - One hour to get a free phone I wanted to give away.

BOO to one of the workers in Two Hampers & a Mule in Norman Manley Airport, too. A clerk refused to give me her name after she refused to accept Jamaican currency (coins), saying, "We don't take dat." I was trying to get rid of my 'change' to pay for a $70 coconut drops. I threatened to write her company because it was absolutely asinine, this business of not taking coins. She then called her supervisor.

The biggest Boo to the mentality of Jamaicans who throw away the so-called 'brown money' and withhold change like the women tried with my dollar change in Digicel. This nonsense needs to stop. Many stores feel they can keep your change. We are a Third-World country, by no means rich with resources. Dollars add up and it is all called MONEY!

- Denise J. McCalla-Creary

Share your good and bad customer service experiences with readers at: lifestyle@gleanerjm.com.