A followup on Jones Orchard...

I got an email THAT NIGHT from the owner ~

Nicole,

Thank you very much for being a customer and a fan on facebook. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to write us. We will take action immediately concerning this employee. I had no idea this was going on. It was hopefully the first and will definitely be the last time something like this happens at our place.

Thanks for your suggestion about posting prices. We will find a dry erase board or something along those lines and post prices, and make sure we always take the weight of the buckets off.

We would like to refund your blackberry purchase so they would be free of charge. I hope this would help make up for your experience today. Would you like me to mail you a check? I want to make this up to you.

If I can be of assistance, please let me know.

Thank you,

Henry Jones
Jones Orchard

--------------------

I replied with ~

Mr. Jones,

Thank you kindly for such a prompt response. I appreciate your generosity, but in all fairness, I DID come home with about 8 pounds of beautiful, HUGE blackberries. I owe you guys payment for our blackberries, but sincerely appreciate your offer.

Your kindness and prompt response is enough to show that you care about your customers. I do plan to continue being one myself.

I just wanted to make you aware of the situation so that other people wouldn't encounter the same and also to ensure that you weren't being "taken for," either, as I do not know the relationship you have with your employees.

Of the two gentlemen (who looked as if they could be brothers), one of them was particularly helpful and kind. The other gentleman was kind, as well, until things got a little shifty at the time of payment.

More than anything, I was a bit disheartened at the idea that I possibly wouldn't be returning as there really aren't many U-Pick farms in this area, and our family really enjoys supporting something other than Walmart, if you catch my drift.

I have wonderful memories of picking blackberries in the heat of Summer as a child, only to have my grandmother make us blackberry cobbler that evening. Being able to share something similar with my babies means a lot to me, even if they DID complain about how hot it was today, haha!

There aren't many places where you'll find bushes that are established enough to produce berries big enough to fill the palm of a 6-year-old. (Please see my attached photo.) Those big guys are already washed and in freezer bags for the upcoming colder months.



Once again, I thank you kindly for such a generous offer and for responding so quickly to my email.

Nicole Jeans

PS. I have many photos from our visits over the last 2 years that I plan to upload to your Facebook page as I think others would enjoy seeing them. Strawberries, peaches, plums, blackberries... I have photos of all of them that are really wonderful and show off what's available.

--------------------------------------

His last response ~

Thank you very much for the additional information and comments. We definitely want to do anything necessary to stay in good standing with you. In response to your first e-mail, we parted ways with the person in question. We are wishing him well, and he will not be here when you return. If there's anything we can do to make this up to you, please let us know.

Thanks for the great photo. We would love to use it on our website or facebook page. We hope you will visit the orchard again soon.

Thanks again,

Henry

----------------------------

I figured that was that. I was floored with his last response... I got a sick feeling in my stomach that I could have caused someone to lose their job. But Chris has reminded me that SURELY he wouldn't have fired someone over ONE SINGLE COMPLAINT unless there was a question of money loss or something fishy going on.

I sent the email because I didn't want other customers to be taken advantage of, nor did I want someone pocketing the money that should be going to the rightful owners of the orchard.


I sure hope that I didn't do something wrong. I feel terrible about what happened. I really, really feel that what he did was dishonest and wrong, and he was trying to take advantage of me. I wonder how many other people he's done something similar to.

Either way, unless he'd done other things or unless there were questions about his employment there, I wouldn't think that he'd be fired over ONE complaint... right? RIGHT?

*sigh*