Too Early To Call

You gotta 'love' it when customers call waaaay before the store opens.
I mean, sure our Grooming department opens a couple hours before the rest of the store.
But that doesn't mean that the rest of the store is open.
Or that there are people available to help those who can't read the store hours and end up calling way early.

*exhales*
Honestly, I wish they would be able to shut off the lines to the store when we're closed. That way customers can't call.

But in any case.

I happened to be at work earlier this week.
Monday morning to be exact.
As in order to make sure all the animals are fed and such we have someone in my department come in in the mornings before we open to clean cages and make sure everyone is fed and healthy.

That's what I was in the middle of doing.
When I got a call for my department.
>.<

Did I mention I don't like people who call before we're open?
Because I don't.
It's extremely irritating.

In any case.
On the phone was a woman, frantic about the status of her pet Chameleon.

O.o
Pet Chameleon?

Apparently, on Saturday
-as said by my coworker-
Two minutes after we closed.
She'd come into the store to return the Chameleon because he was sick.

She was frantic wanting to know what the vet said
-Which told me she obviously wanted to buy him back when he's better-
As they said that they'd take the Chameleon to the Vet on Sunday.

Which I was like.

O.o Well....that's impossible to do. The vets are closed on Sundays....
With which the day she called being Monday...
Meant I possibly had a Chameleon who needed to go to the Vet.

She was desperate to get help.
As the customer had called a couple different vets to which they said they couldn't see her Chameleon until later in the week.
So she was calling with ideas of places we could take the Chameleon.

To which I stopped her.
It's different when a customer calls the Vet.
But when the Petstore calls....
We have an agreement that we can take our animals in immediately if there is a need.
And that they can be seen.

So we move up in priority.
In any case.
I reassured her that the Chameleon was still alive
-after going to check in on him to make sure that was true-

And told her that we'd get him to the vet as soon as possible.
She insisted that I call her back.
*shakes head*

Which I did.
I think I talked with her two or three more times on Monday.
To let her know that we'd contacted our vet and were going to take him in.
And to tell her what the Vet said about her diagnosis and treatment plans and such.

*exhales*
I've spoken to her everyday since then.
as she keeps calling to check in.
Or else I call her to update her.

Tuesday it was just to say that the Chameleon was still at the vet.
Today, it was to say that he was back and we had meds and another Vet visit planned for later in the week.

Hopefully, I won't need to talk to her until after the Vet visit.
Since he's going to the vet on my day off, and I let her know that I wouldn't be there to inform her on what happens.

In any case....
I really hope the Chameleon gets healthy quickly.
As I really can't deal with having to constantly update the customer on the status of her pet.

I'm willing to be helpful, but there's only so far I can go before it starts interfering with my work and other customers in the store....

-Sarnic Dirchi