Dirty Dining Report: Leona's on Taylor St.

I'm a fan of Chicago based restaurant, Leonas. I think that the food is great, the portions are huge and the service is typically phenomenal! Today was defintitely a major let down in all areas. Since this is the first time I've been let down with the food after YEARS of eating there, I won't hold it against them...however, I will post what I thought to be a disgusting, despicable version of a salad.

The lettuce was not only wilted, but even the peppers had rot marks. It was just a big disappointment....All of those dark green marks are not supposed to be there...the tell-tale signs of not so fresh lettuce. To make my speculations more of a reality, the server told me, apologetically of course, that she thought my salad may have been left over from the previous night...gross! Moral of the story, Sunday doesn't seem to be a good day to hit up Leonas. The food is less than fresh and you're better going on a Friday or Saturday night!

Oh, what a night!

Many people have their own opinion on the entire R. Kelly drama...we all know the story...have seen the tape...whatever. I, for one, have maintained my stance that I don't want to judge him and have separated his personal life from his musical genius.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a party at the king of R & B's house and regardless of how you feel about him, it must be said that he knows how to show people a good, make that GREAT time! First off, it was like fort knox outside his crib. I've never seen so many security, etc...not to mention the confidentiality paperwork you have to sign...of which I must admit I didn't read...lol...so, I'll refrain from giving too many details of the night or showing any pictures...Hell, I may have signed my life away or agreed to have my first child produce an album...lol...I'm not really sure! The night was fantastic and I'd urge anyone and everyone to go to one of his parties...kinda like the Chicago, urban version of the Playboy Mansion: Think pool, flowing drinks, scantily clad women, great music, good food...

R. Kelly also played some music off his upcoming album, 12 Play 4th quarter, due out this fall.

The noteworthy guests in attendance included Carl Thomas, Kelly Jay (better known as "beautiful" from FOL), obviously Mr. Kelly himself (looking quite scrumptious as he made his rounds around his house) and others.

Obama or McCain?

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Thank you...

I want to take the time out to thank the over 100 people that have visited my blog in the last 2 days...all because of the "customer service" based blogs that I posted. I am glad to have sparked so much conversation about the topic. Despite receiving messages like this:

1 – 1 of 1

jesus lady. just let it go. he wasn't THAT rude ... jesus lady. just let it go. he wasn't THAT rude to you and to post this stuff on the internet only shows a lack of character on your part. this really doesn't surprise me, because you're black. just ignore his email and go about your life instead of trying to damage somebody's reputation. people like you disgust me.

(mosesblimy)

8:55 AM

I still stand by my original posts. To clarify for all, this is my blog. It's an outlet for me to write about my experiences, opinions...anything and everything that crosses my mind. I had a bad experience with a leasing agent that happened to work for a certain company that in turn happened to be representing a certain developer....and I chose to write about it. Everyday people have bad experiences and decide to share that with their friends, family, etc...that is exactly what I did.

This has nothing to do with damaging someone's character/reputation or putting a company on blast...but instead shedding light on the fact that bad customer service is alive and well...and I, for one, find it to be unacceptable.

Buying real estate is NOT comparable to ordering a big mac and fries...you're potentially investing hundreds of thousands of dollars and I believe that the highest levels of customer service should be put forth. Whether you're a 60 yo seasoned pro or a 20 yo just getting started, you have to treat people with respect.

Update

I have to update everyone on the latest info regarding the leasing agent from hell.

I received an email this morning from the president of the Development company that had hired T-Rock, the company the leasing agent worked for, and was notified that he was no longer employed by the company! I kind of just stared at my computer screen...not really sure of how to feel...but continued getting dressed for work. Once I checked my myspace this morning, I had received a message from the leasing agent...(yes...he went on myspace and found my page...thank God it's private) and sent me this message:

From:

KrisShaun..

myspace.com/lifessweetbreath1

Date:

Sep 24, 2008 5:42 PM

Flag as Spam or Report Abuse [?]

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Date Sent: 9/24/2008 3:42:00 PM
Body:
thank you. i lost my job. how was i rude? all i said to you was "you could have called or emailed"

" type="hidden">

...And then I smiled...and thought to myself that some people will never learn. I did not intend to get him fired from his job, but it definitely needed to be pointed out that his level of customer service was sub-par, unprofessional and a bad reflection on EVERY company he was representing...

Everyone, please find inspiration in this situation I just went through. You do have a voice and don't have to ever tolerate any unwarranted disrespect from anyone. You deserve the best in customer service especially when dealing with real estate, when hundreds of thousands of dollars are at stake.

Bad Customer Service: Part 2

I thought I was being polite by taking the high road and sending a professional email scrutinizing his lack of professionalism, etc...and then he went and replied to my email with this:

Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:26:35 -0700

From: (removed email) .

Subject: Re: West Loop Condo

Right. All it would have taken was a simple phone call or
email. Bye now!

I followed up with another nice, albeit strained, email:

To:(removed email)

Subject: RE: West Loop Condo

Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:22:43 -0700

Your level of immaturity and extreme unprofessionalism is beyond me. In a market that's not stable, you'd imagine that your level of customer service would be at an all time high...especially given that the nature of your business relies on the relationships that you create, nurture, and maintain. However, you've seemed to miss that. As a word of encouragement, you really should try to adjust your attitude. Try venting to your friends before a client. I do not care to hear or read your emotionally fueled rants and raves. Moving forward, please do not contact me anymore.

However, I am still unhappy with the level of service I received so I also sent an email to the developers that hired his company (T-Rock Enterprises, Inc) to handle all aspects of leasing for their company, I took it upon myself to find his myspace page and encourage everyone to take a look. Just like you want to research the company you do business with, it's not bad to research the agent as well.

To throw a little humor at this situation, as my friend Curtis said, "do not do any kind of transaction with a company called T-Rock unless it's a drug deal or something with music production..." lol...