A ‘thank you’ cartoon made by Twisteddoodles for Hailo
Dublin-based cartoonist Twisteddoodles writes:
On Tuesday after the babies were put to bed and I was waiting for them to go to sleep I got an email. It was from the taxi app Hailo. It read, ‘
Hi Maria, recently your Hailo account has been feeling somewhat unloved’.
This was followed by ways I could use the app. I saw it was sent by their customer support so on a whim I responded:
‘Hi Hailo! Thank you for your email about how my Hailo account hasn’t been used. I just want you to know that this isn’t because of you, I love your
service, I have used it on nights out and to go to the airport or the train station, it’s a real joy.’‘The reason I haven’t used your app as of late is I have 8 month old twin girls, who are wonderful, don’t get me wrong. But in essence I have no life. I hardly ever go out, I haven’t gone to the airport or the train station, in fact it has actually been a year since I’ve left Dublin at all. I am not even from Dublin but I’ve been in this city for a year.’
‘A year in Dublin, not taking taxis, wait we took a Hailo to the maternity hospital, so thanks for that. So trust me Hailo, I’m aware that your app is on my phone, I also have a few hotel booking apps which aren’t getting a look in either.’
‘We’ll be together again some day Hailo. Just you wait. We’ll totally go out on the town. Warmest regards, Maria.’
I thought nothing of it, I thought it might give them a laugh or something I dunno I just responded as myself not as Twisteddoodles but then they responded….
Hi Maria, Thank you so much for your email, it is most certainly the best customer email we’ve ever received! As a thank you, I’ve put a little credit on your account for when you do get to go out on the town again. Kind regards, Leanne
I thought ‘Holy shit, that’s lovely of them’. But then there was another email from them.
Hi Maria, Following on from my previous message – I’ve shown your email to our team and we’ve all agreed that we’d love to treat you to a night out, we really think you deserve it! Have you a favourite restaurant you haven’t been to in a while? We’d like to get you a €100 voucher for it and provide taxis to and from on the evening. Let me know :) Kind regards, Leanne
Subsequent emails involved me thanking them profusely, doing a little cry, sending them photos of the babies and a drawing thanking them, them doing a little cry and it was generally nice. Actually it was lovely.
I walked home from work and called into the coffee shop Bread and Butter who got me to do a nice poem for a couple getting married on their blackboard, the couple saw it today and I wanted to know how it went.
I guess I wanted to know that they liked it, to actually hear the words. Also I wanted to buy some bread.
The manager wasn’t there so I bought bread and asked the guy who was there how he was and we chatted a little bit, he asked did I want to take some black olive tapenade which goes off tomorrow with me. Always a sucker for free food I said yes.
On my merry way I passed a bus shelter I saw a fiver on the ground, there was only a girl there who was a bit away from it.
I scooped it up, holding it victorious with a ‘woo hoo!’
The girl said ‘Aw I didn’t see that there!’
I took a few steps away from the bus shelter, then I went back.
‘Are you a student?’ I asked the girl. ‘Yes?’
I held out the fiver to her.
‘Take this, you could use it more than me.’
‘What? No! What? Are you sure?’
‘Yes! Just do something nice with it!’
Then I picked up my squealing children from creche and brought them home, outside I saw my neighbour who cut our hedge, then subsequently got rid of the hedge bits he cut off and cleared our drains. I want to make him a card and I will.
We talked briefly, I thanked him and the girls stared at him. We said our good byes and I walked away, then I turned back and asked…
‘Do you eat black olive tapenade?’ I took out the tub.
‘Is it vegetarian?’
‘Yes, it’s just that I was given it and I was hoping that maybe you guys would like it’.
‘Thanks very much.’
That was my day yesterday. It was a good day.
I thought I’d share it.
Thanks Emily