Mrs Lola is my tailor, she lives in a place so far away though she claims she lives in Lagos, I can only describe her area as an outskirt of Lagos. When she charges me for making my clothes, she charges transportation allowance differently and that, I usually do not mind because the amount of money she charges for making me 3 outfits is what my other tailors collect as deposit for one outfit. I like mrs Lola my tailor, she listens to me and is not overly forward, she does exactly what I want and minds her business when I tell her that I want my outfit shorter or longer unlike Mrs Funmi aother tailor of mine who said to me that if she made me the particular length of skirt I asked her to, I wouldn't be able to jump the gutter or ride an Okada. I remember being very angry with her and asking her who told her that I'd be jumping gutters or riding Okadas.
Anyway back to Mrs Lola, my current Tailor. So Mrs Lola is a very very good tailor but my problem with her is her lack of customer service. She lacks it so much it causes a lot of friction between us. She has this terrible habit of not fulfilling her promises. If she says she would deliver your clothes tomorrow and things changed, for example there is a flood in her area as she claimed one time, she never thinks to call to tell you that she wouldn't be able to make it that day and when you call her phone, it would either be unavailable or switched off until the day she decides to come. I have settled a couple of fights between my Aunty and her there was a time she didn't deliver an outfit my Aunty was to wear to a wedding until a month after the wedding. I have been counting myself lucky and special up until now because she never really treated me that bad, maybe sometimes she is a day or two late but not this bad. Something changed.
Last week she was meant to deliver some clothes she recently made me, she flashed my phone several times infact I sounded very irritated when I called her back. She was calling to tell me that she would be coming to drop my outfit the following day and she wanted me to also tell my mum just in case she had some new fabrics to sew. I said "ok" . The following day came, I waited and waited for Mrs Lola , she didn't come. I called her phone, it was turned off. I knew she had started with her disappointing acts. Two days after, she finally picked up her phone when I called repeatedly. I told her how upset i was with her for keeping me waiting and not even having the common courtesy to call to say that she wouldn't be able to make it any more. She gave me one of her excuses as usual and said she was on her way to my office.
7 hours later she arrived at my office, my outfits were beautiful but needed a little adjustment, she took them away and promised to return them two days After. Day 8 after the promised date, I am still waiting for madam Lola, she hasn't called and her phone has been off. Yesterday when I got through to her phone, a woman picked up her phone and said she left her phone charging at her store. Today a man picked up her phone and said he was her husband and was helping her charge her phone in his office. Lies. lies and more lies.
This might be the end of Mrs Lola and I's relationship. She sews really well but her customer service skills sucks. But when I think about Shadia my former tailor who ran away with my clothes and money a few years ago, I begin to question Mrs lola 's loyalty to me and my experiences with tailors in general. Would she do the same thing Shadia did ? I give her whatever she charges (without bargaining) plus transport allowance. Don't know why she acts in this manner. Maybe it's time to ditch her before she does a runner on me.
