The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents! MEMBER OF: ONTARIO CANADIAN COMMUNITY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER CNA NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION r 7j CANADIAN CIRCULATIONS CNA DIVISION AUDIT BOARD 25,500 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLY Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Inc. Box 206, 131 Brock St. N., Whitby, Ontario L1 N 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Toronto Line: 427-1834 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurice Pifher - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 20% 4M recycled content using vegetable based inks. To the editor... Viewpoint 'Love' your customer Exercise in futility To the Editor: Re: OMB hearings. On Feb. 17 when The Free Press published an article on OMB appeais, I was attending an OMB hearing in Ajax. I hope the Eggerts get better results from their hearings than I did. My neighbour and I regarded the whole thing as an exercise in futility. We were listened to but not heard. It seems that Whitby is not the only council that has councillors who don't listen to the concerns of its residents -- we have them in Ajax also. I was protesting the Ajax council decision to allow a doctor to convert a bungalow into a clinic in the residential area where I live, together with the unsightly paving over of the garden to accommodate nine cars when there was a surplus, and has been for some time, of commercial property in Pickering Village. The board (consisting of one person) was only interested in whether council received the required number of site plans on the property to be rezoned and whether the Ajax planner considered the application for rezoning to be 'good planning.' The board was completely unconcerned that this would set a precedent for future development or that it would impact on our quality of life. On speaking to a lawyer who specializes in municipal planning, he informed me that h e had heard a lot of complaints about the way the Ontario Municipal Board was handling appeals. Instëad of looking at the overall picture, they are being too focused. I wish the Eggerts good luck in their efforts. If they don't get any satisfaction, I suggest they do what I did and write to the Minister of Municpal Affairs and to their MPP, both of whom have not had the courtesy to reply (not a good way to garner votes for the NDP). With enough pressure they might hear what the ordinary citizen has to say rather than the special interest groups. I would be interested to hear from people who feel they are getting their rights trampled on by these little tin gods. Susan Clay Pickering Village To clarify ... To the Editor: The article concerning Whitby Montessori School (WMS) that appeared in the March 10 issue of The Free Press has compelled us to respond and clarify statements made. On receipt of our business taxes, WMS promptly paid ail taxes owing, with the exception of a $1,200 portion required for the Downtown Business and Improvement Association (DBIA). The arnount was withheld on a matter of principle, following numerous attempts to voice our concerns to both the Town and the DBIA and after exhausting ail avenues open to us. We felt that we had no other option. An employee of the tax department took it upon herself to demand immediate payment in an unprofessional, extremely hostile and belligerent manner. We believed then, as we do now, that an apology for this behaviour is professionally appropriate. Further, we question the validity of the mayor's opinion saying that "the lady is net easy to deal with." I believe that it is important to note that neither myself nor my partner have ever met the man. Our communication with the mayor includes one telephone conversation and pertinent written correspondence. Perhaps he has confused one or both of us with someone else? We object that our right to challenge this matter has been simply dismissed and that our posture and subsequent protest has personally discredited us. Linda Comello and Kathleen Natsuhara Proprietors Whitby Montessori School By KrIs Maharaj I have been a resident of Whitby for the past four years, and of the surrounding area for a total of 10 years. During this time, I have een involved in countiess transactions, both as a customer and as the owner of two local businesses. I am pleased to acknowledge that the vast majority of these transactions have been gratifying, courteous and rewarding. There were a few that were questionable and could have been improved upon. Then there were those that were, in my opinion, intolerable, distasteful and rude. The latter is the area that I would like to address. These 'encounters' were not restricted to any specific type of business. They have included stores that specialize in tires, lumber and buns and have ranged from small proprietors to large corporations. I believe that there is a need for me to express my concern and for business to address the issue of customer service. A paying customer should be treated as such. The fact that the person is wearing a business suit, soiled clothing, older clothing or casual attire should not be the criteria upon which customer service is based. The manner in which a person is attired is, in may cases, unrelated to their specific purchase. Instead, it is usually consistent with the activity the individual was engaged in at the time it became necessary or convenient to make a pu;rchase. For example, a person wearing a business suit and buying gasoline, would not hava been dressed in this manner solely for this purpose. A paying customer should be treated as such. A person's gender, race or ethnic background should not be used as the criteria upon which to determine the level and type of service to be delivered. There are businesses, however, that function upon this principle and belief. They believe, for example, that shoplifting and race/ethnicity have a direct correlation and, therefore, certain people should be closely watched by sales personnel. This directive also encourages sales The Whitby Free Press welcomes letters to the editor on any subject of concern to our readers. Letters should be buief and to the point - rarely more than 300 words. All letters must be accompanied by the name, address and telephone number of the writer. However, on request, your name rnay be withheld from publication if we agree there is a vaid reason. The newspaper reserves the right to reject or edit ail letters. Send to: The Editor, Whitby Free Press, Box 206, Whitby. Ont. LiN SS1, or drop through our mail siot at 131 Brock St. N. personnel to adopt 'unique' attitudes as the opportunities arise. If this belief was justified, and given the fact that these individuals are so closely watched, then how can the cost of shoplifting be as prohibitively high as it is? One must conclude, therefore, that the basis for surveillance must be flawed. As you may have guessed by now, I usually have no problem finding sales personnel when I am in a store. Finding courteous sales personnel is sometimes more difficult. There are many businesses today that are of the opinion that they are the only ones equipped to provide certain products and services, immune from competition. Because of this, customer service is talked about but not practised in any meaningful way. Do not be complacent -- competiton could be iust around the corner. With freetrade, the possibility is even greater. Just think for a moment, how many pizza or donut store/chains were in existence a few years ago compared to today? One must also consider how quickly a chain can evolve and establish itself, as is becoming increasingly apparent To the editor: The Durham Region Branch of the Canadian Diabetes Associa- tion has recelved a number of calls in the past few weeks from people complaining about a tele- phone fundraising campaign which is currently running in Durham Region. Rhe Canadian Diabetes Asso- ciation is in no way associated with this fundraising campaign. Our understanding is that this campaign is being run by a profes- sional fundraising agency, not by volunteers. To the Editor: I really enjoyed Bill Swan's column 'Getting the treatment' in the March 24 edition of The Free Press. Al those things have happened to me, plus magazines, taped commercials and a kid who used to phone twice a week (wrong number). with the Coffee Time donut franchise we see in and around Durham Region. You will agree that there is indeed a driving need not only to service your customers but, more importantly, to keep your customers. In the end, we will do what we love, we will love what we understand and we will understand what we are taught. In other words, sales staff can love serving their customers, if they understand that your existence and their jobs could depend on it. To this end, they must be taught and trained. So please, explain to your staff the purpose of your business and the role of your staff in accomplishing the objective of your business. But be - sure to stress that with satisfied customers you will not\succeed. It is also important strive not only to exceed your present competition, but competition yet to come, in terms of customer service. The customer as king/queen should be practised, not just spoken. If you do, you have everything to gain. If you don't, you have everything to lose, including your business. Opinions expressed are those of the author. The Canadian Di abetes Asso- ciation runs an annu al door-to- door canvass in November, which is Diabetes Month across Canada, and throughout the year we engage in other fundraising activi- ties through special events. All of our events are planned, organized and executed by volun- teers. We do not hire telephone solicitors to do our fundraising. For more information about our association, call our office at 436- 6648. Art Trudeau President I installed an answering machine; the messge kicks in after the fourth ring. You'd be surprised how many people hang up when it comes on, and it sure cuts down on unwanted calls. My kids know how to get me to pick up the phone. Derek Walker Whitby Toe edto., Not our campaign Familiar ring